Christmas With the Goldsworthy's
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: What happens when Bullfrog decides to play match-maker over the holidays?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own Degrassi.

Chapter One: Bullfrog's Suggestion

"Um…"

"Bullfrog…don't," Eli slid into the front seat next to his dad, "_Please_."

"Was that…"

Eli shot his father a look, "What did I tell you?"

Bullfrog held up his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright. I can take a hint."

He turned the key in the ignition, and the car backed out of the parking spot. As they drove away, Eli couldn't help but stare at the girl watching them go. She looked so cute standing there all bundled up in her coat. Eli shook his head, regretting not kissing her back – regretting not just telling her, "No, we're talking about this now, not after break."

Now he would have to wait out the whole two-week-long holiday until he could speak to her at school and confront her about the kiss. Or, he could just call her…but calling would be weird. What if there was an awkward silence on the phone or something? Eli rested his head against the headrest and watched the snowflakes dance past the window. Since when did things get to be so complicated?

Since his ex-girlfriend kissed him two seconds before he had to leave and not see her again for two whole weeks. Yup, that sounded about right.

"Your mother fixed peppermint hot chocolate tonight," Bullfrog attempted to make light conversation with his son, "Your favorite kind of hot chocolate. She even put in some of that peppermint bark you love…"

"How likely is it that you happened to have a bout of momentary blindness during my…uh…moment back there?" Eli asked, suddenly.

"Not very likely," Bullfrog admitted, "That was Clare, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Eli winced, dreading what his dad would say next.

However, Bullfrog surprised him, "Good."

"_Good_?" Eli stared at his father as if he had just sprouted a second head, "What do you mean _good_?"

"She's a nice girl, Eli. Just watch yourself, alright? You are pretty crazy about the girl," Bullfrog smirked, "No pun intended."

Eli rolled his eyes, "I think I can handle it this time. Besides, losing her the first time was a wakeup call to me. I don't want to do anything to lose her again. I won't jeopardize this. I won't ruin this."

"You should invite her to come with us tomorrow."

"Are you sure _you're_ not the one that's mental?" Eli raised a concerned eyebrow, "I can recommend a therapist…"

"Ha-ha," Bullfrog rolled his eyes, "Very funny. I'm serious, kid. You should invite her with us to Grandma's."

"Clare wouldn't be interested in that," Eli shook his head, "Not to mention that'd be, like, so _totally_ weird. Like, _major_ creeper-status. Oh, hi there ex-girlfriend who I just now started talking to again a few hours ago! Would you like to join my family and me to visit my grandmother for the Christmas holidays? Oh goodie!" Eli shot his father a death-glare, "Yeah…_not_ happening."

"I don't see what the problem is," Bullfrog shrugged, "It's Clare. You two are close."

"_Were_ close."

His father rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Look, I'm just sayin'…I got your mom to take me back after I invited her to a family barbeque."

Eli raised a curious eyebrow.

"That, and the fact that we _totally_ did it on the picnic table the night before when my parents were asleep," Bullfrog held out a fist for Eli to bump.

"No," his son shook his head, "Just…no."

"Aw, come on. This could be the big moment. You could be telling your children about this."

"Dad," Eli shook his head. Bullfrog knew this must be important – Eli hardly ever called him 'Dad', "I really don't think Clare wants to take me back."

"She kissed you, didn't she?" Bullfrog asked, "Come on, just give her a call when you get home. Unless…you're too chicken."

"I am not!" Eli objected, "I just know her and I know she'd be totally creeped out if I randomly invited her to join us for Christmas. Besides, it's short notice to get a plane ticket for tomorrow."

"You think I hadn't thought of this earlier?" Bullfrog asked, "Please, Eli, give your ol' man some credit here. I ordered an extra ticket just in case you had someone _extra_ special you wanted to invite along."

"Seriously?" Eli couldn't believe what he had just heard, "Wow…Dad…"

"This isn't going to be one of those mushy father/son moments, is it?" Bullfrog shot his son a look.

"Of course not," Eli made a disgusted face, "What'd you take us for? A normal family?"

When they pulled into the driveway, Eli hopped out of the car and hurried upstairs to give Clare a call. He was nervous as all get out, but he knew it would mean a lot to his father. He just hoped the suggestion wouldn't freak her out too much.

"Hello?"

"Clare? Hi! It's…"

"Eli. What are you up to? It's getting late…"

"I know," Eli ran a nervous hand through his disheveled hair, "but I have a question."

"Oh, Eli…I thought we were going to wait until after the…"

"Just listen to me," Eli wasn't the best when it came to having patience, "My dumb father thought he'd try and be cute and bought an extra ticket for our flight tomorrow…just in case I wanted to _'bring along someone special.'_ His words, _not_ mine. Anyway…"

"Yes?"

"…I was wondering…I know it's crazy-short notice…but would you…it'd mean so much to my dad – for some weird reason…"

"Eli?"

Eli sighed before quickly asking, "Would you please come with my family and me to visit my grandmother's for Christmas?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Let me just first off start out and say that I am so sorry I didn't update yesterday. I am in love with this story, and I couldn't wait to sit down and write, but I had a million different things going on, and didn't get the chance. Secondly, let me just say thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews. You guys are so awesome, and each of your reviews is so dear to me! I love y'all!**

Chapter Two

Clare didn't say anything for a while, and there was a moment when Eli was worried the phone had been disconnected, or she had just hung up on him. He could feel his pulse quicken within in veins, and he desperately wanted her to say something, anything – anything would be better than the current silence.

Finally, she said, "You want me to come with you and your parents to visit your Grandmother for the holidays?"

Eli rolled his eyes; he had been hoping for something other than a parroted response of what he had just asked, "Yes, Clare," he said softly, trying not to get frustrated, "I mean…you don't have to go or anything. My dad…I don't know what he's trying to do here but…I guess it could be…fun."

"And how do you propose I get a flight for tomorrow, Eli?"

"My wonderful father bought you a ticket already," Eli didn't realize he had been gripping the phone so hard, until he felt the cramping in his knuckles, "Weird, I know. But at least…"

Clare's response surprised him, "I'll go."

"You will?" Eli brought his voice down an octave, and a decimal, and asked again, "You will?"

"It'll be fun," Clare's voice still sounded shyly apprehensive, "All of Jake's dad's family is coming to town, and somehow I just don't feel very…welcomed."

"They're you're family now too," Eli furrowed his brow, "What do you mean you're not welcomed?"

"It's just…Mom seems to want me…out of the way. She really wants to impress Jake's grandparents and I just…I feel like I'm in the way of it all. I will ask her tonight, but I think she'll be more than relieved to not have to worry about me on top of everything else."

"But you're her daughter," Eli still wasn't comprehending any of this, "And it's Christmas."

"I know," Clare's voice sounded lost, "I really appreciate the offer, Eli. I hope my mom will say it's okay. It'll be fun. Where are we flying to…if I can go?"

"Minnesota. I know it's a bit of a trip, but it's always a blast. You'll love my Grandmother. Her name is Charlotte and she's…well…she kind of reminds me of you."

"Eli…"

"Clare, let's just go and have a fun time for the holidays. Then we can talk about…everything. This can be like…a trial run."

"Okay," Eli could almost hear the wheels turning in her head before she said, "That sounds like a good plan to me."

"Awesome! We can pick you up about seven in the morning…if that's not too early."

"No," Clare objected, "It's fine. I need to get out of the this house, and the sooner, the better."

"I'm sorry everything is kind of a mess for you right now," Eli apologized, "If there's anything I can do…"

"When isn't anything a mess," Clare chuckled, "And thank you. You've always been a good…um…" Eli was dreading the word 'friend.' He closed his eyes and hoped Clare would pick another word. He got his wish…somewhat.

"A good…um…yeah."

"Yeah," Eli nodded, "You too."

They said goodnight, and Eli hung up the phone. For a moment, he just stood in his room, not really knowing what to do from there. "Yeah" wasn't exactly the best description of what he was to her; but he was looking forward to discussing the logistics of their relationship after the holidays.

It'd be good for them to get out of town and have that little "trial" run. Nothing would be pushed or pressured, they could just relax and have fun together. Then, at the end of it all, they could decide what they wanted to do from there.

Eli realized he probably should let his parents know. He still couldn't believe his dad had done this. What had Bullfrog been thinking? Eli rolled his eyes, knowing better than to try and get into his dad's head, and made his way downstairs.

Cece had a fire going in the living room, and she and Bullfrog were curled up on the couch together…making out. Eli rolled his eyes again as he approached them. He supposed it was good that he had parents that were so in love they couldn't keep their hands off of each other, but that didn't mean that he wasn't totally weirded out by it.

"Um…hey," Eli got their attention, and Cece sat up and wiped off her lip.

"Hey baby," she smiled at him, "What are you up to?"

"Kissin' Clare at the fosti-thingy," Bullfrog grinned.

Eli wanted to smack him.

"No way!" Cece giggled, "Eli! Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not a big deal, Cece," Eli sat down on the couch, "We are still…trying to figure things out."

"Any word on if she's joining us at your Grandmother's?" Bullfrog asked, anxiously.

"Yeah, she wants to go. She said with her stepdad's family coming into town, she doesn't really feel very welcomed. It sucks. I mean, she said her mom would be more than relieved to have her out of the house."

Cece shook her head, "That poor girl. I'm glad you suggested this, Bullfrog. The kids need some time together."

"Yeah," Eli agreed, "We are going to take this vacation to just have fun and see how we feel about one another after it's all said and done."

"I think she still likes you," Cece grinned, "Why else would she kiss you?"

"Because she's Clare, and she's a spaz?" Eli suggested, "Bullfrog said something about peppermint hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, come on," Cece pushed herself up off of her husband, "I'll fix you some."

**A/N: I know it's short, and I apologize for that, but I just am being practically rushed out of the house to go run errands, so I wanted to update with something as soon as I could. It's not the best, but I'm hoping it'll tide you over until the next chapter which should be up sometime tonight. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Not that he would ever admit this to anyone, but Eli didn't get a single wink of sleep that night. He was too busy thinking about everything that had taken place the day before. If you'd asked him if, just a few hours ago, he thought he'd ever be talking to Clare again, his answer would most likely have been, "Probably not." Now, he had not only talked to her, but laughed with her, ate lunch with her, teased her, smirked at her, asked her to join his family on a trip for the holidays…oh yeah…and she had kissed him.

Eli couldn't comprehend everything. It had all been so fast. He just wanted a second to catch his breath. As he lay awake, he let his nerves chew away at him. Would she have a fun time visiting his grandmother? Would she sit next to him on the plane? Would she be as nervous as him? Eli yanked the skull blanket over his head in frustration.

When his alarm went off – god, how he hated the sound of that alarm – he got up and dressed himself in his token black attire. Black t-shirt, black jeans, black Converse sneakers, black jacket. Yup, Eli looked himself over in the mirror. He was good to go.

His suitcase had been packed the day before, and all he had to do was brush his teeth, eat breakfast, and go pick up Clare. Easier said than done. As he wheeled his suitcase to the door, his stomach began to knot up. He hated the feeling of being nervous. Nervous meant you weren't necessarily in control. Eli liked being in control.

He plopped his suitcase next to the front door, and dug his cellphone out of his pocket. He just had to check one thing. Yup, that text message was still there. So he hadn't dreamt it…

_Hey! I talked to Mom and she said I could go just as long as I promised to stay gone until after Glen's family leaves. Ugh. Can you believe her!_

_ No, that's really messed up, Clare. But…I am happy you can come with us._

_ Just a trial run, right? We can reevaluate everything AFTER the trip?_

_ Yup. No pressure _

_ I like no pressure._

_ You better get some sleep. We have an early morning tomorrow._

_ Yeah, you too. Good night, Eli._

_ Goodnight, Clare._

Those texts were all still there. It hadn't been a dream. She did want to go with him. Her mom did, in fact – as rude as it was – say she could go. Eli's heart skipped a beat as he reread the conversation on his phone for about the tenth time.

"Mornin', kid," Bullfrog hobbled down the stairs with his suitcase in tow, "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Fine," Eli hoped his dad wouldn't be able to tell that he was lying; but, as always, Eli was transparent to Bullfrog.

"Liar," his dad grinned, "I bet you were up all night thinking of her."

"Was not," Eli argued, "I'm going to fix some cereal. Want some?"

"Lucky Charms, light on the milk."

"Got it."

Eli retreated into the kitchen. Why did his dad always have to know everything? Eli shook his head, and poured some cereal. He began to wonder what Clare was doing. Was she eating breakfast too? Eli groaned and rolled his eyes to the ceiling – what the hell was he doing? This was the kind of stuff girls like Ali did when they had a crush. Eli ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair, and tried to regain his suave demeanor.

He was not going to let Clare get to him like that. No. This was a casual Christmas vacation with a friend. Nothing more. After the vacation, they would regroup and see what they felt about each other. Did they want to be just friends? Or maybe more?

Eli was hoping for the latter. He desperately wanted her back in his life. He had tried to act like he was over her, but that was just because she was over him. Why were things so freakin' complicated? It was all her fault, Eli decided. This was Eli, after all, did you really think he was going to take the blame? Nope. It was all her fault. She had been the one to complicate everything. She was the one that had left him…then kissed him.

Maybe she was the bipolar one.

"Mornin', baby," Cece interrupted his thoughts, "Did you take your pills yet?"

"Not yet," Eli sat the bowls of cereal on the table, "I will after I eat. Do you want some cereal?"

"Mmm…Lucky Charms?"

Eli made a face, "Is there any other kind of cereal?"

He poured a bowl for his mom just as Bullfrog came in from loading up the car.

"Everything's all set and ready to go. Clare is coming, right?"

"Yeah," Eli shoveled a bite of freeze-dried marshmallows into his mouth, hoping that if he had a mouth-full, Bullfrog wouldn't bother him with questions.

No such luck, "So…this vacation is just a trial…"

Eli shot his dad a death glare. Bullfrog held up his hands, "Alright, alright. I'm dropping the subject."

"Thank you," Eli said as sweetly as he could, "I told Clare we'd get her about seven…"

"Ha!" Bullfrog pointed an accusing finger at his son, "So I can't talk about her, but _you_ can?"

"Dad…" Eli rolled his eyes.

"He's breaking out the 'dad,'" Cece grinned, "You'd better listen to him."

Eli rolled his eyes, "Can't you two just leave well enough alone?"

"Nope," Bullfrog grinned, "So, I called your Grandmother up last night and asked her to hang a lot of mistletoe throughout the…"

"That's it!" Eli stood from the table, "I'm going to eat my cereal in my room…in peace and quiet!"

He headed upstairs with his bowl of cereal. Once he was within the safe confines of his bedroom, Eli pulled his phone from his pocket.

_Good morning_, he texted, _are you ready for today?_

It wasn't long before he received a response: _Yeah. I was up late last night packing, so I'm kind of out of it this morning. But I am looking forward to getting away and having a vacation._

_ I am really sorry about your mom._

_ Yeah. Do me a favor, Eli?_

_ Anything._

_ Can we just not think about her…or Glen while we're gone? I want to have a fun time with you and your family. I don't want thinking about her to ruin that._

_ Of course. We're all packed. Just eating breakfast now. Then we'll come get you and rescue you from your tower :) _

_ Thank you, my knight in shining armor :)_

Eli didn't realize he was staring at the phone and grinning until Bullfrog knocked on his door.

"You got it bad, huh?" He asked, drawing Eli away from his thoughts. Quickly, he abandoned the grin, and replaced it with an aloof smirk.

"I don't know what you're talking…"

"Take your pills, pack 'em up, we're rollin' out in ten minutes."

"Got it," Eli saluted.

Bullfrog rolled his eyes, "Such a smartass."

"Apple doesn't fall far from…"

"Shut it, kid," Bullfrog chuckled, "Be down and ready to go soon."

Eli dug through his dresser drawer and withdrew the rusty-orange colored pill container. He unscrewed the childproof cap, and dumped two little white pills into the palm of his hand. He hated having to take the pills. To be honest, they terrified him. He didn't want them to alter who he was, and sometimes he felt more like a robot than a person after taking them.

But he fought against that robot feeling, and he fought against the anger and rage. Now, he was just down to take four pills – two in the morning, and two at night, an improvement. He was getting better at controlling his emotions. He needed to…for Clare.

Eli headed downstairs, and tossed the pills into his mother's take-on bag. Bullfrog was already in the car, and honked the horn.

"Damn it," Cece shook her head, "That dumbass is going to wake the neighbors," but she was smiling when she said it, "Come on, kiddo. Let's get going before he breaks out the air horn."

As they drove to Clare's house, Eli tried to get the nerves eating away at his stomach to calm down, and to get his heart from jumping. It was just Clare. Clare Edwards. The Clare with the freckles on her nose. The Clare who blushed so easily. The Clare who was one of the few people in the world that truly knew him. Why was he so nervous then?

Bullfrog pulled up to the house, "Go get her," he told Eli, "and try not to keep us waiting while the two of you smooch."

"Stop it!" Eli hissed, "You can't talk like that once she gets in the car."

"Why not?"

"Bullfrog," Cece placed a hand on her husband's arm, "Leave the kid alone."

"But it's so much fun to mess with him," Bullfrog grinned at Eli, who shook his head before hopping out of the car.

It was chilly, and the icy wind stirred up snow flurries that stung at his nose and eyes. Eli quickly marched to the door, pulling the military-style black pea-coat closer around him. He lifted a gloved-finger up to the doorbell, and rang it. He waited a moment, gulping down his nerves, before Clare finally answered.

"Hey," she smiled at him, her eyes were twinkling, but Eli noticed how her nose was red.

"Are you okay?" He asked, peering down at her intently.

"Yeah, fine. Why do you ask?"

"You've been crying, Clare."

Clare scoffed, "No," she rolled her eyes, "Why would I possibly be…"

Eli glared at her, and she knew he could see right through her, "Fine," she sighed, "My mom and I just got into it again this morning. I still can't believe that she actually is choosing Glen and his dumb family over me for the holidays."

"What does the jockstrap have to say about it all?"

"Don't call him that," Clare hissed, "Please."

"What?" Eli smirked, "I can call him what I want."

"Eli…"

"Fine," Eli gave in, "I'll stop."

"Good. He says that he doesn't really understand it either, but that he's glad that I have a place to go for the holidays."

"He knows you're going with me, right?" Eli raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Clare rolled her eyes.

"And he still said he's happy about it?"

"Yes. Can we go to the car?" Clare asked, doing a little jump, "It's freezing out here."

"Your carriage awaits," Eli opened one of the back doors for her.

"Thank you," she slid inside, "Hi, Bullfrog! Hi, Cece!"

"Clare!" Cece turned around and smiled at her, "It's so good to see you again! I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too," Clare admitted as Eli slid into the other seat, "Thank you for this. It really means a lot to me that I can just get away for the holidays."

"Don't mention it," Bullfrog turned up the heat, "We're just glad you could make it. Isn't that right, Eli?"

"Dad…"

"He called you 'dad' again," Cece wagged a finger at her husband, "You're gonna get it now."

Eli turned to Clare, "Ignore them."

"Is he right, though?" Clare asked quietly, "Are you glad that I could make it?"

Eli wanted to kill his father for this. He sucked in a deep breath, and said, "Yeah…I am."

"Good!" Bullfrog exclaimed, "Now, let's get this party started! Baby girl, pop in some tunes!"

Cece unzipped a CD case and flipped through the options before landing on one, "How about Pantera?"

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," Bullfrog leaned over and kissed his wife as she popped the disk into the CD player.

Clare looked over at Eli and caught his eye. The two of them just stared at each other, shy smiles tugging at the corners of their lips.

All that was interrupted though when the music blasted through the car.

"Geeze!" Eli jumped.

"I thought you liked your music loud?" Bullfrog asked, "Or are you getting soft on me?"

"It's _way_ too early for this," Eli shook his head. Then he noticed something almost hidden under the blasting music…Clare was laughing.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I know several other stories contain the "20 questions" element, so don't think I'm trying to steal anyone's ideas, I just thought it'd be a cute thing to include. Also, in my other story "Love and Other Four Letter Words," I had Eli ask Clare a specific question he'll be asking again. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Four

Of course, she sat next to him on the plane. Bullfrog and Cece were in the row in front of them, leaving Eli to sit alone with Clare. The plane hadn't even moved down the runway yet, and already, Eli could tell this would be a long flight. He wanted so desperately to talk with her, but had no idea where to begin.

He had let her take the window seat, and she was lazily looking out the window, watching the men run around the plane in bright yellow and orange vests, loading the luggage into the cargo. She stifled a yawn, and Eli wondered if maybe she'd just take a nap. It had been an early morning, and it seemed she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. If she took a nap, he would be spared any awkward conversation. Maybe he could take a nap too…

"Tell me about your grandmother…Charlotte," Clare said suddenly, turning from the tiny window to Eli.

"Um…well, she's really sweet," Eli tried to swallow the nerves that threatened to crack his voice, "And she's a lot of fun. She loves baking and probably has a huge Christmas dinner waiting for us. I think you'll like her."

Clare nodded, "I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"Clare?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's break the ice a little. Want to try twenty questions?"

"Eli…last time we tried something like that, I spilled soup all over your pants."

"Good thing the flight attendants haven't passed out the drinks yet," Eli smirked, "So what do you say? We each get to ask each other twenty questions."

"Consecutively, or just throughout the flight."

"Whatever," Eli shrugged, "Just as long as it's twenty questions."

"Do they have to be yes or no questions?"

"Depends."

"Alright," Clare chewed on her bottom lip, "You first."

"Okay," Eli ran a hand through his hair, realizing that the task at hand was easier said than done. He had so much that he wanted to ask, and had no idea where to even start, "Um…what was going through your head last night when you…uh…kissed me?"

Clare inhaled sharply before saying, "I thought we weren't really going to discuss that…"

"Okay," Eli really wanted to know, but he also knew better than to push it. If he pushed it, she might never tell him, "Fair enough."

Clare sighed, "If you must know…nothing. If I had been thinking, I wouldn't have done it."

"Ouch," Eli winced, "Alright. I guess that's fair. I suppose I shouldn't ask questions I might not want to know the answer to."

"Well it was a stupid thing to do," Clare insisted, "I mean, we had only just begun to talk again. I don't know what I was thinking. If I had been thinking, I would have talked myself out of it. I would have told myself how it's a terrible idea and how, if I did kiss you, it would run the risk of ruining everything."

"Ruining what?"

"You know," Clare picked at her cuticle, "making things awkward and stuff. Can I ask my question?"

"Sure."

"Did you really want to invite me along, or did your dad make you?"

Eli winced again, "He suggested it. I thought it was totally stupid because why would you ever want to come with my family and me for the holidays? I figured you would be a little creeped out."

"Yeah," Clare nodded, "I mean, I guess it might be a little bit weird…but we were friends before we dated, and your parents have always been two of my favorite people in the whole world. I don't see why I couldn't spend the holidays with you."

"Exactly," Eli agreed, "Why do things have to be awkward? We are just two people who once dated who are spending the Christmas holidays together."

"Yeah! It's not awkward at all," Clare tried to sound convincing, "Your turn at a question."

The plane began to move forward a bit as Eli asked, "What's your life like now that your mom married Glen and your boyfriend is your stepbrother?"

"_Ex_-boyfriend," Clare corrected, "And it's less than ideal. Mom is so focused on her new little family, that she seems to have forgotten that she has two daughters with her first husband. It's like…she wants to forget everything having to do with my father…including us. And don't even get me started on Glen," Clare rolled her eyes, "That man thinks he can control everything. He acts like he's my parent, and that he has a say in everything I do. Mom just lets him. The whole thing with Jake is awkward as all get out," Clare rolled her eyes, "It's so weird living with your ex-boyfriend who's now your brother. We have no idea how to act around each other. He tried to make a tampon joke the other day and failed miserably, and the whole thing just ended up being awkward and weird."

Eli chuckled, "I can imagine. I'm sorry about your mom. I guess she's just so excited to have a second shot at marriage, that she's just caught up in it."

"Yeah," Clare glanced out the window, "I guess…"

"I bet after she settles into this whole new life, she'll go right back to normal," Eli nudged Clare, "And you'll look back on this and laugh."

Clare rolled her eyes to meet his, and said, "I highly doubt that, Eli. I never imagined my mother would put her new husband before me. I never imagined my mother would have a new husband to begin with. She's always been super religious – believing in soulmates and everything. I used to be that way too…but now I just…I don't know…"

"You don't believe in soulmates anymore?" Eli asked, his brow furrowed. Clare had always been one to gush on and on about soulamtes and true love and all that junk. Junk, that's exactly what Eli had thought it was. But now…now he was starting to feel a little bit differently towards all that romantic stuff. The fact that Clare no longer believed in soulmates anymore bothered him for some reason.

"It's my turn to ask a question," Clare dodged his inquiry, and asked, "How are your meds working out for you?"

"Fine," Eli said, "I'm down to only taking four a day. I am getting better at controlling my emotions, and I meet with a therapist regularly. I'm getting help, Clare. I'm doing better. I don't think I'll be trying to crash anymore cars."

"I'm sorry about Morty," Clare's eyes met his, and Eli saw in them genuine sympathy, "Really. I know that hearse meant a lot to you."

Eli shrugged, "I don't care."

"Yes you do," Clare knew better than that, "You care a lot."

"Alright," Eli gave in, "So maybe I miss that dumb pile of metal more than I probably should. There's nothing I can really do about it. I screwed up. I screwed up a lot last year."

Clare nodded, "But you're getting help now."

"Yeah, but that still doesn't make up for what I did. I hurt a lot of people. Including you."

"I've been hurt worse."

"But that's the thing," Eli persisted, "I was the one person who was supposed to never hurt you. I was supposed to be the one protecting you from all the other hurt and pain. I wasn't supposed to cause it. I screwed up big time on that, and I'm really sorry, Clare."

Clare didn't really know what to say, and Eli was just hoping she'd say anything. The silence was killer, and he longed for just one word, or one smile, to cross her lips.

"Your turn to ask a question," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. Eli rolled his eyes, knowing that this would be the way it would be. They'd dodge the important questions…at least for now. Maybe after the trip, then they could really answer them. Eli decided to lighten the mood.

"Alright," he grinned, "Is my signature smirk just as irresistible as ever?" He comically over-exaggerated that smirk of his, causing Clare to laugh, "Hmm?" He asked, "Doesn't it just melt your heart and make you say, 'Oh _Eli_, I _want_ you! I _need_ you! Oh, _Eli_, oh, _Eli_!'"

Once she had stopped laughing, Clare said, "Nope. It doesn't have that affect. It's more of a 'Oh, _Eli_, I _want_ to throw up. I _need_ to throw up. Oh, _Eli_, oh, _Eli_!"

He scowled, "But…my smirk is irresistible," He leaned close to her, and in a dramatic voice, with dramatic hand gestures said, "_Stopping girls in their tracks with just one twitch of a facial muscle…making girls swoon with cock of his eyebrow…he's…he's…SUPER SMIRK BOY!" _

"Oh no," Clare shook her head, rolling her eyes, "Eli…"

"I'm telling you, I've had people approach me about movie deals."

"I'm sure."

"It's true. By day, he's irresistible, cunning, handsome, and…"

"Nauseating?" Clare suggested.

"Not the word I was going for," Eli rolled his eyes, "Come on, it's just a simple yes or no question. Do you still think my smirk is irresistible?"

"You're smirk is still irresistible," Clare said, "I _irresistibly_ want to smack you."

Eli made a face, "You just don't know a good thing when you see it."

"Of course I do," Clare argued, "You're just not near as irresistible, cunning, or handsome as you think you are."

"Is that so?" Eli asked, his voice challenging.

"Yeah, it is," Clare wasn't going to cave.

"Alright. I want you to point out a guy on the plane who you think is irresistible."

"Eli, that's dumb…"

"No it's not," Eli folded his arms over his chest, "Just tell me, who do you think is irresistible."

"I can't see everyone on the plane…"

"Fine," Eli snatched her magazine she had purchased after going through security from the seatback in front of her, "Flip through this issue of TeenQueen and point out who you think is irresistible."

"I am not going to…"

"Do it," Eli shot her a sideways glance, and Clare caved.

"Alright, fine," she took the magazine from his hands and began flipping through the glossy pages. The plane was speeding up down the runway. Suddenly, it lifted off into the air, and without even thinking about what she was doing, Clare grabbed onto Eli's hand.

She held onto his hand as the plane lifted off into the air. Once it was no longer vertical, Clare relaxed, and let go of his hand. It was then she seemed to realize what she had done. Eli was just as surprised, and slightly confused – though he wasn't about to complain about it.

"I'm sorry," Clare blushed, "It's a habit. I get nervous when planes take off. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Eli shrugged, "Just as long as I don't get your cooties or something."

Clare rolled her eyes, "Eli, if I had cooties, you'd already have them."

"Yuck," Eli made a face.

"You're so immature," Clare sighed, returning to her task of flipping through the magazine, "Ah-ha!" She pointed a red fingernail at a picture of some scruffy looking man, "Right there! Now _that_ is irresistible."

"Who is _that_?"

"The actor from Night's Kiss."

"That cheesy vampire movie?" Eli raised an eyebrow, "Wait…wasn't that like, your favorite book?"

"Yeah," Clare caressed the picture, "And he's the star in the movie. Dennington Acklebee."

"_Dennington Acklebee_?" Eli gagged on the name, "What the hell kind of name is that? And if he's so famous and rich, shouldn't he be able to afford a razor?"

"I like his scruff," Clare smiled down at the glossy photo, "It says here that his favorite food is spaghetti and that that means he's a romantic."

"Pasta means your romantic?" Eli raised an eyebrow, "Who exactly writes this crap?"

"It's entertaining," Clare shrugged, "It may not be top-of-the-line journalism, but I still think it's fun to read. Anyways, just look at him! He's got a six-pack!"

"Gross," Eli made a face, not believing that Clare could actually find someone like that attractive.

"What's wrong with him?" Clare asked.

"He's all hairy for one thing," Eli shook his head, "And he looks like he's probably about as intelligent as a box of rocks."

"Eli! You don't know that!"

Eli shrugged, "You're right. I don't. So…how do you go from liking someone like…"

"Eli…" Clare winced, dreading the question.

However, Eli surprised her by naming Jake instead of himself, "…Jake to liking this guy? I mean, Jake is tall, lanky, and probably couldn't grow a beard if he tried…"

"Oh leave him alone," Clare shut the magazine, "You asked me to pick out someone I thought was attractive, and I did."

"I can see your taste has gone downhill."

"Eli! I believe it's my turn to ask a question now."

"Fine," he gave in, "Shoot."

"Did you really date Imogen?"

Eli chuckled, "For like two days. It didn't work out, obviously. I kind of was a jerk to her. She's with Fiona now…so I don't really know if that means I turned her lesbian or not. Perhaps I should be concerned…"

"I highly doubt you turned anyone lesbian," Clare rolled her eyes, "Imogen probably just likes who she likes, regardless. I wouldn't dig too deep into it. She and Fiona will be cute together."

"Yeah," Eli agreed, "Fi's had a crush on her since the beginning of the year…not that she'd ever admit it. But I could totally tell. She was head over heels for that girl."

"That's good," Clare bit her lower lip, "And apparently Mo is with Marisol now. Everyone seems to be pairing off. Oh yeah, and Ali and Dave are back together."

"Yeah, but this is Degrassi, Clare. Most of the new couples will probably be over and done by the time we start school again."

It was true. Degrassi was infamous for its short-lived relationships. Eli and Clare's had been one of the few that had lasted the longest. He ran a hand through his hair before turning his attention back to her. She was picking at her nails, and Eli wondered if she was thinking the same thing.

"Your turn to ask a question," Clare didn't take her eyes off her nails.

"Are you still a virgin?"

"_Eli_!" Clare smacked him in the arm as hard as she could muster, "What the _hell_ kind of question is that?"

"Such harsh words, and such violence coming from Saint Clare," Eli chuckled, clutching his smarting arm.

"I can't believe you'd even _think_ of asking me something like that!"

"It's a simple question, Clare," Eli rolled his eyes, "_Yes_, you slept with him; or _no_, you didn't."

"I…I don't see how it's any of your business."

"I just want to know," Eli shrugged, "So…yes, or no."

"Eli…you can't just ask someone if they're still a virgin or not…"

"Why not? Yes, or no Clare?"

"I am not going to answer that. I don't have to answer that."

"Unless for some reason you don't _know_ if you are or not. Clare, do you understand the anatomy of sexual intercourse?"

"_Eli_!" Clare hissed, "_Shut up_!"

"You see, a guy has this…"

"_Eli_!" Clare smacked him again, her cheeks were aflame, "You are the biggest pain!"

"I try," he grinned, "Alright, alright. I guess you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Good," Clare tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Because it is none of your business if I slept with Jake or with anyone else."

"What do you mean anyone else?"

"Ask another question, Eli," Clare glared at him, "For your own safety, ask another question."

Eli supposed she did have a point – it wasn't any of his business. But he really did want to know. Why did he want to know? Eli wanted to smack himself in the forehead. Why did he even care if Clare was still a virgin or not? What did it matter?

"Alright," he gave in, "I'll ask another question."

"Thank you," Clare smiled at her traveling companion.

"You're welcome," Eli said calmly, "Alright…let me think..." and then without even missing a beat, he asked, "Have you ever gotten to fourth base…"

"_Eli Goldsworthy_!"

Uh oh...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

He knew he had screwed up. It took a lot for Cece to be mad at him.

Eli sunk down into the seat. He knew better. He knew better than to ask Clare something like that, and he knew better than to keep picking on her for it. Clare sat awkwardly next to him, again returning to her task of picking at her nails. Cece turned around in the seat and glared right at her son.

"How _dare_ you ask her something like that!" Cece scolded, "What is wrong with you?"

Eli really didn't know what to say. It wasn't often that his parents yelled at him, so he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do. Yeah, he had screwed up. Why was it such a big deal to him anyways if Clare was a virgin or not?

"Clare," Cece turned her attention to her; and Clare, upon hearing her name, abandoned her finger nails and gave Cece her undivided attention, "I am so sorry about that. I don't know what the hell is wrong with my son. He knows better than that," Cece glared once more at Eli, "Bullfrog, don't you agree?"

"Uh…yeah," Bullfrog placed a hand awkwardly at the back of his neck. Eli could tell his father wanted no part in this conversation what so ever, "It's uh…none of your business, kid, if Clare is a…uh…yeah."

Clare just wanted to die. She sunk also into the seat of the and tried to fight the crimson blush that was staining her cheeks.

"Sorry," Eli turned to Clare, and flashed her his best _I-know-I'm-in-deep-doo-doo-but-please-don't-be-mad-for-too-long_ face.

"It's alright, I guess," Clare softened, knowing she couldn't stay angry at him.

"It's not alright," Cece objected, "Not alright at all. Eli, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Cece…"

"No," she pointed a finger at him through the gap in the seats, "Don't you ask her that sort of thing! It's none of your business if she's a virgin or not."

Eli just wanted to melt into a puddle, and he was certain Clare did too.

"Mom…"

"Eli, you don't just ask the girl you like if she's a virgin or…"

"MOM! _Geeze_!"

"Can I get your drink order ma'am?" A flight attendant asked Cece. Cece took a deep breath, and turned back around. Eli was extremely appreciative of the flight attendant's timing. He was not very fond of being yelled at, or having a finger wagged at him.

"Yes," Cece grabbed the little menu from the seatback, "Um…can I get just a Coke?"

"Coke? Yes ma'am, and for you sir?"

Bullfrog peered over at the menu before placing his drink order. The flight attendant moved down the row to Eli and Clare.

"And your drink order, sir?"

"Sprite," Eli turned to Clare, "And she wants a cranberry juice. Can we get an extra cup?"

"Of course, sir."

The flight attendant moved on to the next row, and Clare turned to Eli, clearly impressed, "You remembered one of my favorite drinks."

"Of course. Sprite and cranberry juice. How could I forget."

Clare wasn't angry with him anymore, and instantly the mood seemed to lighten between them. Eli prayed that Clare hadn't heard his mom's pervious comment, but of course, no such luck.

"Cece, I don't think Eli…"

"Yeah, I do not like Clare. We're just…um…yeah."

"Yeah," Clare agreed, not really knowing what 'um…yeah' meant, but figured it was better than not being anything at all.

"Okay," Cece smiled, turning back around in her seat. Bullfrog, however, was not about to let the subject drop quite so easily.

"You know, denial is never a good thing, kid…"

"Dad," Eli threw his head back against the seat, "Stop it!"

"I mean, if you like her you should just say so. I don't get all this high school mumbo-jumbo drama bullshit. Why can't you just tell her how you feel?"

"She _knows_ how I feel," Eli sighed.

"Eli and I are just…we're just starting to be…we're friends again. That's it."

"Okay," Bullfrog shrugged, "Suit yourselves."

"Dad…"

"I'm just sayin'…"

"Dad," Eli glared at his father, "Stop it…_now_."

Bullfrog held up his hands in surrender, and turned back around in his seat. Eli shook his head. Why did his parents have to be so…involved? Why couldn't they just leave well enough alone? He and Clare were just friends. Friends. She had used the word friends. So they were more than "um…yeah" now. That was good. That was an improvement.

"Sorry about them," Eli rolled his eyes, "I swear, they can't butt out for two seconds."

"It's fine," Clare smiled, "I don't mind. At least they care."

"They care a little too much," Eli glared at the seats in front of him, "I am sorry about that…uh…question. It was too personal. I shouldn't have asked something like that. I don't even really know why I did."

"Eli, Jake and I…"

"I don't need to know," Eli said earnestly, "Really. It's your business."

"Thank you. But just so you know…in case you ever need to write a book entitled 100 Facts About Clare Edwards…I am still a virgin."

"Really?" Eli cocked his head to the side, surprised. He had expected a different answer. However, he was glad Clare was still a virgin. She may not believe in soulmates anymore, but at least she had held on to that, "So 100 Facts About Clare Edwards?"

"Oh hush," Clare rolled her eyes, "It could be a best-seller."

"Oh yeah," Eli smirked, "I do believe it's your turn to ask a question."

"Okay," Clare bit her lower lip, and Eli tried not to focus too much on the fact that she looked super adorable while doing so, "Did you…did you miss me at all? I mean…like hanging out and talking and laughing and stuff?"

Eli was taken aback by the question. He had assumed Clare was going to dodge all the serious questions for now, "Yeah. I did. You were kind of a big part of my life, Clare. It just didn't feel…right not talking to you. Something big would happen and I'd say, 'Oh, I've got to go tell Clare,' and then I'd remember, I couldn't."

"I missed you too," Clare's eyes met his and she smiled a shy smile, "We were really good friends. I don't see why we still can't be."

"Exactly," Eli nodded, hoping she couldn't hear how hard and fast his heart was beating, "We do the whole…uh…friend thing pretty well I'd say."

"Yeah. We've been talking for about an hour, and I've only wanted to kill you about three times," Clare giggled, and Eli smiled – a genuine smile – and closed his eyes, praying that his heart would stop going a thousand miles a minute.

"Well, we still have another six hours to go," Eli smirked, "So I won't hold my breath."

The flight attendant came by with their drinks, and Eli and Clare poured the cranberry juice and the Sprite into the extra cup. As Eli took a sip of his leftover Sprite, he couldn't help but be thankful for that moment.

With his bipolar, there were plenty of days – plenty of moments – where he felt like a shell of himself. Today, right now, he felt alive and he felt happy. Clare had made him smile, made him laugh, and made him feel alive again. He closed his eyes, and swore, with every pore of his body, he could feel _life_.

"Want some?" Clare offered him her cup.

"Sure," Eli took a sip, "Yum. So are you impressed that I remembered your favorite drink?"

"Yes," Clare snatched the cup from him, "Hey! I didn't say you could drink it all!"

Eli stuck his tongue out at her, "Fifty percent of that drink is mine, remember?"

"Fine," Clare rolled her eyes and handed him the cup, "I really, really appreciate this, Eli. I am having a much better time than if I had stayed home with my mom."

"I thought we weren't going to really mention her," Eli reminded her, "We don't want her ruining this, right?"

"Right," Clare nodded, "You're so lucky, Eli."

"How?"

"Your parents are amazing."

"What? My parents are pains!"

"Excuse me?" Bullfrog turned around, "And having a son that's a smartass is a walk in the park?"

"I learned from the best," Eli grinned.

"Don't make me come back there," Bullfrog threatened good-naturedly before turning back around.

"Seriously though," Clare continued, "You have pretty terrific parents, Eli."

He shrugged, knowing full-well that she was right. They were pretty great. Even if they bugged the hell out of him. He still couldn't complain. They loved him. He felt that every day. Did Clare feel that same love from her mom? Eli's heart hurt thinking of the answer he already knew.

"I guess they aren't _too_ bad," Eli smirked.

"Did you hear that," Cece leaned close to her husband, "We aren't too bad."

"I can live with that," Bullfrog smirked, taking a sip of his Coke.

"You know, that smirk of yours is still as irresistible was it was twenty years ago."

"I try," Bullfrog grinned, and casually ran a hand through his hair.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Eli couldn't help himself. He reached a hand up and curled a cinnamon strand of hair around his finger as Clare shifted in her sleep. She looked so peaceful. Eli ran loved playing with the tangles of her hair. It had been one of his favorite things to do when they were together, and he treasured being able to it again. She had fallen asleep, and somehow managed to shift just right so that her head was leaning against his shoulder.

Not that he minded at all. Eli reached down and pushed another strand of hair out of her eyes, and decided to just rest his eyes too…just for a moment. After all, it had been an early morning, and he hadn't slept well the night before. It was all her fault. Eli smiled down at her before leaning back in his seat, and closing his eyes. He couldn't believe that this was real.

Just the other day, he would never have imagined he'd be speaking to Clare Edwards again. He'd never imagined Ali would have approached him about helping Clare out with the school paper, he'd never imagined that they'd be talking and laughing, he'd never imagined that he'd be teasing her again or making her smile, he'd never imagined that they'd eat lunch together, that she'd kiss him, that they'd be going to visit his grandmother for Christmas together.

It was unbelievable – like a dream. Eli sighed, peacefully, and allowed himself to fall asleep next to Clare. He hadn't felt this genuinely happy in a long time, and peaceful rest came easily to him.

Clare awoke to find that she had fallen asleep against Eli's shoulder, and that he had fallen asleep with his head resting on top of hers. Clare slid out from under him, and readjusted him so that his head as leaning on her shoulder. She reached up and brushed some hair from his eyes, and smiled when she noticed the small freckles peppering his nose.

Eli had the sweetest little freckles on his nose that you could never see unless you were super close. Clare never imagined that she'd ever see those freckles again. She continued to lightly brush and play with his hair as he rested. They would be landing soon, and she wanted to treasure every second of this moment.

The pilot came over the intercom, and announced that they'd start making their descent. Clare twisted one of the dark curls around her finger, and smiled. She never imagined that she would be here – flying to visit Eli's grandmother for the Christmas holidays. It was like a dream…a dream she hoped she wouldn't wake up from.

"He always falls asleep on flights," Cece rolled her eyes. She had turned around and was smiling at Clare, "If I was one of those crazy mothers, I'd totally whip out my phone and snap a picture of that…aw, who am I kidding," she grinned, "I _am_ one of those crazy mothers!"

"He's going to murder you," Bullfrog warned as Cece dug in her purse for her phone.

"Oh, we won't show him…for a few days," Cece giggled as she pulled out her phone and took a picture of Eli asleep on Clare's shoulder, "How about you, baby?" She asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Clare smiled at the woman she had come to love and adore like her own mother, "I think once we land, I'll give my mom a call…just to check in."

"I'm sorry about her," Cece shook her head, "It's a shame. She doesn't know what she's missing out on! But I'm glad we get to have a good Christmas with you. As selfish as that is," she winked at Clare.

"I'm glad I can spend Christmas with you guys too," Clare continued to play with Eli's curls, as he continued to rest on her shoulder.

Everything just felt so…right. She never wanted this moment to end.

Of course, right when she thought that, Eli stirred himself awake. He blinked his eyes awake, and looked up at Clare, a sleepy smile spreading across his face.

"Hey," he said, his voice groggy, "I could wake up to that face every day."

"You're still half-asleep," Clare rolled her eyes, "You don't know what you're saying."

"You're pretty. That's what I'm saying."

"And you're exhausted," Clare chuckled, hoping he was too tired to notice the blush on her cheeks, "The pilot said we're starting the descent. We should be landing in about thirty minutes."

"How long was I asleep for?" Eli asked, starting to waken a bit more.

"I'm not sure. At least a few hours."

"You didn't uh…take advantage of me while I was…"

"Eli!" Clare smacked him as he chuckled, "You're impossible."

"And you snore," Eli remarked.

"Well, you talk in your sleep and that's worse!"

"I do not," Eli scoffed.

"Are you sure about that? _Oh Clare, Clare you're so perfect and wonderful and intelligent and smart and I only wish I was half as brilliant as…_Eli!" Clare squealed as he began tickling her.

"Liars get tickled," Eli said, matter-of-factly, "It's the law."

"Eli! Stop it!" Clare squirmed, "You're going to get us in trouble!"

"I'll just tell them you're a spaz and have moments of spontaneous giggling and thrashing about. Maybe they'll have you placed in a mental ward when we land…"

"Eli!"

"You do _not _want me to come back there," Bullfrog called over to them, "_Eli_…"

"Fine," Eli relented.

"Eli's Father: his Kryptonite," Clare grinned.

"Oh shut it," Eli rolled his eyes, "I just don't want to get yelled at again."

Clare stuck her tongue out at him, and he returned the favor.

The plane landed smoothly, and once the pilot pulled up to the terminal, everyone stood from their seats and began gathering up their things. Eli shrugged his jacket back on, and Clare grabbed her purse from under the seat.

"So are we renting a car to get us to your Grandmother's?" Clare asked.

"Are you kidding?" Eli made a face, "She's picking us up."

"She still drives?"

"Clare, I don't know about your grandparents, but my grandmother is not exactly fragile."

"When I talked to Mom today," Bullfrog said, "She told me that she'd pick us up a bit later than expected because she had some last minute things to do. She told us that we should get a bite to eat at the airport and then give her a call. Clare and I can get a table at Son of a Gun's while the two of you go get the luggage."

"I don't think I trust you alone with Clare," Eli eyed his father suspiciously.

"Have a little faith," Bullfrog rolled his eyes, "You don't mind, do you Clare? If the two of us have a little chat?"

"No, not at all," Clare replied, but hoping it wouldn't be about anything too serious. She didn't want Bullfrog to try and pressure her into getting back together with Eli. If they did decide to try dating again, it'd be on their own volition.

"Alrighty then. Clare and I will meet the two of you at Son of a Gun's."

"It's a bar and grill," Eli explained to Clare, "We usually eat there when we fly in."

Clare nodded, "Alright, well I guess I'll see you there."

"Yeah," Eli turned to his father, "Dad…_be nice_."

"You worry too much," Bullfrog rolled his eyes.

"Um maybe that's because..._you give me reason to worry_!"

Bullfrog brushed off his son's comment, "Come on, Clare, let's go get lunch."

"Dad...Dad...be nice. Dad...don't say anything too...Dad...Dad..."

But Bullfrog and Clare were already headed down the terminal.

"I'm going to kill him," Eli shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Oh baby," Cece brushed a long strand of hair behind his ear, "Don't worry so much. I am sure your father won't say anything _too _embarrassing."

"I just don't see why he needs to talk to her."

"Your father has his reasons," Cece shrugged her take-on bag up on her shoulder, "Now, let's go get the luggage. The sooner we grab the luggage, the sooner we can get to Son of a Gun's..."

Eli gave in, and decided not to complain about it too much. He knew his dad had his reasons - Bullfrog always did - but that didn't mean that Eli was exactly thrilled about the idea of his father being alone with Clare.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"I bet I know what you're thinking," Bullfrog grinned as he sat down next to Clare. The waitress had just taken them to their table, and he had explained to her that they were waiting for his wife and son. Clare looked up at him, puzzled, "I bet you're thinking 'Why the _hell_ did this old man drag me here to spend Christmas with my ex-boyfriend."

Clare opened her mouth to object, but Bullfrog interrupted her, "No, it's fine. I mean, it _is_ pretty weird. Your ex's old man asking that you come spend Christmas with our family – even buying you a plane ticket and all. Yeah, it is pretty weird. You probably think I just want to play matchmaker, and am trying to set you back up with Eli, huh? Well, there's more to it than that. Eli…that kid's been through a hell of a lot…"

Clare nodded, "He told me."

"There's more to his story than he probably told you. Hell, there's more to his story that he doesn't even know. Bipolar Disorder is a pretty scary thing, huh?"

"Yeah," Clare shook her head, "I-I can't even imagine what he goes through on a daily basis."

"Do you know some of the science behind BPD?" Bullfrog asked, when Clare shook her head, 'no,' he continued, "You're a smart girl, do you know about genotypes and phenotypes?"

"Genotypes are when you carry the gene for something. If your mom has blue eyes, and your dad has green eyes, you carry the genotypes for blue and green eyes. But when you're born, and your eyes are – let's say green, then you carry the phenotype for green eyes."

"Exactly," Bullfrog nodded, impressed, "It's the same with mental disorders. Some people carry around the genotype for a mental disorder, and never show any 'symptoms' of that disorder. But say there's a stressor in your life? That stressor could trigger that genotype, and make it a phenotype. You could carry around the genotype for BPD, but never show any signs. Until something huge happens in your life. Then, it's like the genotype wakes up and flies into action, becoming a phenotype, and making you show the signs of BPD."

Clare wasn't sure where he was going with all of this, but she knew enough science to follow along. Bullfrog continued, "When my baby girl told me she was pregnant, _wowzer_! My whole life changed. I was thrilled! I couldn't wait to be a dad. But, the more I thought of it, the more scared I became. I was _petrified_. I lost sleep over it, stressing myself out. I wanted to be the _best_ father in the whole world, and was absolutely terrified I'd fail at it."

Bullfrog wiped his brow with his fingertips and continued, "When that kid of mine was born, my whole world changed. I loved my Cece, but holding that kid in my arms…it was like a whole different level of love…pure love. It's indescribable. I wanted to protect him and love him and care for him in the best ways I possibly could. As he grew older, my stress got a little worse. When Eli was about nine, I lost my job. Cece had quit her job at the record company so she could be a stay at home mom, and we didn't have much in the ol' piggy bank."

Bullfrog sighed and shook his head, and Clare could tell that this story was a painful one for him to share, "I got angry. I got really angry over a lot of things. Eli learned pretty quickly to stay away from me. But this one day…_God_ I'll never forget this one day…Eli and I got into a fight. I was not in any mood to deal with him, but that's still no excuse. The kid…I don't even remember what we were arguing about…or what he said. I just…I remember…"

He closed his eyes, and Clare wasn't sure if she wanted to hear this, but knew that she had to, "I remember…grabbing him. I remember…I was so angry. Everything was…was kind of a blur. Like a fog. I…I…took off my belt…and I hit him…_God_ I hit him…"

Clare noticed the tears flooding, Bullfrog's eyes, and felt her eyes begin to drown with her own tears, "And I remember…he looked back at me with this look on his face…this look of…of utter…_betrayal_. I…I stopped and…I just turned and left. I walked straight out the front door and never wanted to go back. I had….I had hurt the _one_ thing…the _one_ thing I was supposed to protect. Cece…my baby girl…she got in the car and drove around until she found me. I was at the park I used to always take Eli to when he was a baby. She…she got out of the car…and I thought she'd be so pissed at me…I _deserved_ her to be pissed at me…"

Bullfrog wiped away a tear with the back of his hand, "But she just…she walked right up to me and grabbed me and…my baby girl held on to me like she'd never let me go. She was crying…and I was crying…and she made me promise her…she made me _swear_ to her…that I'd go get help. The next day…I scheduled an appointment with a therapist. I thought it was just anger management issues. I figured I'd take a few classes and be fine. But the therapist had me fill out this evaluation…and then he sent me to a psychologist."

"You have Bipolar Disorder?" Clare's question was barely a whisper, and Bullfrog nodded.

"I got on my meds right away. I have been taking them ever since. And I've been trying real hard…every day. It's a struggle…and it's a pain in the ass…but I have to do it. I can't quit. I wake up every day and I fight…I _fight_ for my baby girl – my angel – and I _fight_ for that kid of mine."

"Does Eli know you have Bipolar Disorder?" Clare asked gently.

Bullfrog shook his head, "I could never tell him. I told him I had anger problems…and that I went to group sessions to help me learn how to calm down. But I never told him I had Bipolar Disorder. Eli…that sweet kid of mine…he forgave me that evening when I came home. He hugged me…and with tears in his eyes…he told me that he was sorry for whatever he had done…and that…he loved me. After all these years though…I've never forgotten that look on his face when I was hitting him. I still have nightmares about it."

"You and Eli have what seems like the best relationship now," Clare furrowed her brow, "You should tell him about your Bipolar Disorder. It may bring the two of you even closer."

Bullfrog shook his head, "No Clare-Bear," he said, using the name that Eli had used so often when they were dating, that even his parents had picked it up, "I can't tell him that. I did this to him…how can I possibly tell him that I'm the one that did this to him?"

"But you didn't _do_ anything," Clare objected, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, "You didn't do anything. You carried the genotype that got triggered when Eli was born and you lost your job. Eli carried the genotype that got triggered when he lost Julia. It's all genetic. You didn't intentionally do anything to him, Bullfrog."

"I know, but I still blame myself every day for the struggles he has to go through. I wish I could just take all of his pain away…but I can't and that…that kills me. With you in his life though…he was happy. After Julia died…he just became so…_detached_ from everything. When he met you…even when the two of you were just English partners…he had this…_joy_ about him. He was genuinely happy, Clare. Something he hadn't been in quite some time. After the two of you broke up…he got real bad again. His mom and I were so scared. We took him to the doctor's and to the therapists…and he's finally starting to get better. He laughs and he smiles and he's happy again…but that night – the night of the frostival – after you kissed him, he had that…that joy again."

"Bullfrog…"

"I wanted you to come with us on this vacation not so that you and Eli could maybe start dating again…but to allow the two of you to have the chance to reconcile and…and become friends again. I wanted to get the two of you away from Degrassi and away from everything…and just let the two of you have some time…just some time to sort out everything. I'm not asking that you take my son back at all…and I didn't ask that you come with us for that reason. I just want you to have the chance to spend some time together with each other. I want you to have the chance to have that friendship again…so that maybe…just _maybe_ my baby can have that joy back in his eyes."

"Bullfrog…your son has brought me that same joy," Clare smiled up at him, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. She hadn't admitted this to anyone – not even Ali, but she knew she had to say something now. She couldn't just keep her feelings shut up deep inside She needed to tell Bullfrog everything, "He made me so happy when we were friends…and when we were dating. I missed him terribly after we broke up. Losing him was one of the hardest things I ever did…and it was one of the biggest mistakes in my life. When we started talking again…it felt so _natural_. Even one of our friends said it was like we hadn't missed a beat. At the frostival…before he left…I just _had_ to kiss him. I don't know what came over me. But I felt like I just couldn't let him go without doing so."

"You still love him, don't you?" Bullfrog asked.

Clare laughed, and with a huge smile on her face, said, "I could never stop loving him."

Bullfrog nodded, "Don't tell him I told you this – he'd kill me – but…he never stopped loving you either."

Clare's heart fluttered, "I just don't know what to do," she admitted, "To be honest, I'm terrified."

"If you two love each other, that's all you need. Everything else will work itself out. With a strong enough love, it can take on the greatest fears."

"Bullfrog, incase Eli doesn't tell you this enough, you're a really terrific father."

Bullfrog smiled and Clare noticed a twinkle in his eyes, "He never says it…but sometimes that kid looks at me as if I am God himself…and that one look is enough for me."

"Can I ask you something? Strictly on an advice-basis?"

"Of course, Clare-Bear."

"What should I do?"

Bullfrog laughed, "I wish I could tell you, but this is something you have to figure out on your own. You have to do what feels right and good to you, in your heart. You can't do something just for the sake of being told to do it. This is about what _you_ need to do, Clare."

It wasn't exactly the answer she had been hoping for, but she knew Bullfrog was right. She needed to do what felt right to her, for her. She knew that that would be easier said than done. Just as she was about to say something else, she noticed Cece and Eli were setting their luggage outside the restaurant in the grill's little designated luggage area.

"There they are," Clare said, "Don't worry, Bullfrog. I won't tell him anything that you told me. It's between you and him. And maybe someday, you can tell him yourself."

"Thank you, Clare-Bear," Bullfrog smiled at the girl, just as Eli marched over.

"Alright, I want to know what the hell the two of you were talking about," he demanded, folding his arms over his chest.

"Just stuff," Clare smiled sweetly up at him, "You know, the weather and how quaint the décor of this restaurant is…"

Eli shot her a sideways glance, not buying it for a second, "I guess there's no chance either of you are going to spill, huh?"

"Not a chance," Bullfrog grinned at his son, "So why don't you just sit down, order your lunch, and stop freaking out over it."

"But…"

"_Sit_," Bullfrog commanded, "I think I'm going to have a burger. Clare, what looks good to you?"

Clare flipped open the glossy menu, "A chicken sandwich sounds delicious!"

"I just want to know…"

"No, Eli," Bullfrog shook his head, and Clare noticed the small smile tugging on the corners of his lips. She hoped someday, he'd be able to tell Eli what he had told her today.

"Dad…"

"Eli, if you're going to keep it up, you can just go sit over there at that empty table."

Eli let out a huff, and cracked his menu open. He had given up…at least for now.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Why don't you call your mom while I give Grandmother a call and let her know we're here," Bullfrog suggestion after they all had eaten. Clare agreed, and nervously pulled her phone from her purse. She had no idea what she would say to her mom; but she knew she needed to be the bigger person in this situation. Rather or not her mom wanted to talk to her, Clare still needed to call her and let her know that they had arrived safely.

She went out into the airport to place the call. Fingers shaking, Clare pressed "MOM" in her list of contacts. Her heart began to thump like crazy as she lifted the phone to her ear, and heard the ring.

On the third ring, her mom answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Mom, it's Clare…"

"Clare? Is everything alright? Why are you calling?"

"I just wanted to let you know that our plane made it here safely, and we're here in Minnesota."

"Oh, okay. Well that's good sweetie. Glen's parents are driving in tonight, so we're going to have a huge dinner. Um, if you need to call just try and wait until tomorrow afternoon. I might have a chance to talk then. I'm so swamped trying to get everything ready for them to come visit."

"That's fine," Clare lied, "I just wanted to let you know I'm here and that I'm having a good time so far. Eli and I…"

"What's that sweetheart?"

"Eli and I…"

"Oh, I'm sorry Clare! I was talking to Glen. I need to go…he wants me to help with the Christmas lights. Um…I'll talk to you later. Have fun!"

"You too…" Clare said, but realized her mom had already hung up.

She sighed and looked down at her phone, wondering when things with her family had gotten so messed up. She was painfully jealous of Eli's relationship with his parents. After talking with Bullfrog, Clare realized that his parents loved him more than anything else in the world. That must be a nice feeling.

Clare returned to Son of a Gun's just as Bullfrog was paying the check. "How did it go?" He asked her.

"Not too good," Clare grabbed her purse, "I'm going to use the restroom, if that's alright."

"Of course, baby," Cece looked up at Clare with sympathy swimming in her eyes.

"I gotta go too," Eli jumped up from the table, "How about we meet y'all outside?"

"Sounds good to me," Bullfrog agreed.

Once they were out of the restaurant, Eli asked, "Clare, are you alright?"

"Oh yeah," she brushed some hair from her eyes, "I'm fine. Why?"

"You look on the verge of tears and you are running away to the bathroom."

Clare rolled her eyes and tried her best not to let Eli see how upset she really was, "I'm fine, Eli. You worry about me too much. My mom's just busy with everything she has going on right now. Besides, can't a girl use the restroom without her motives being questioned?"

Eli shoved his hands into his pockets, "Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure that you're alright."

"I'm fine, Eli."

They walked the rest of the way to the restrooms in silence. Eli would glance over at her, wanting to say something more to her, but not quite knowing where to even begin. There was so much he wanted to say to her. Why couldn't he just say what he wanted to? Because maybe saying, "_Oh, hi there ex-girlfriend whom I just started being friends with again, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still head over heels in love with you and always have been and I want to grab you and kiss you every chance I get_" wouldn't be the most tactful thing to do.

As Clare was about to go into the restroom, Eli grabbed her arm, "Just promise me you really are fine," he said, his voice commanding, his eyes locked onto hers.

Clare knew she was transparent to him. Lying wouldn't do any good, but how could she possibly tell him everything she was feeling, "Don't worry about me, Eli," Clare shrugged her arm from his grasp, "Please."

"I always worry about you, Edwards."

Clare opened her mouth to say something, but no words came. Instead, she ducked into the women's restroom. Once inside the safety of the restroom, she grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser, dampened it with the tap, and placed the cool rag on her forehead and cheeks. Clare wished she could just scream, but she didn't feel much like dealing with airport security, or being hauled off to a mental hospital. Instead, she leaned against the cinderblock wall, and tried to logically collect and calm her thoughts.

Everything seemed like a blur, a complete mess. Her whole life had turned on a dime. Everything she thought she known had completely fallen apart – her family, her faith, what she thought she felt towards Eli. Clare didn't even know where to turn. She felt completely alone.

No I'm not, she reminded herself. Eli would be waiting for her just outside the restroom. Eli, with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face, would be waiting to make sure she was okay. She wasn't completely alone. Not with Eli back in her life. Clare smiled at the very thought. She had to admit, it was nice having him back in her life. As she had told Bullfrog, she had missed Eli very much during their breakup. He had been her whole world, and without him, she felt completely alone. She had missed his smirk, his smile, his laugh, the way he'd roll his eyes…she had missed him so much. And now, here she was in Minnesota to spend Christmas with his family and him.

Clare tossed the paper towel into the garbage can, and shook her head. She didn't need to hide in the bathroom and have a meltdown among the toilets and sinks. No, she had Eli now. He was there for her and desperately waiting for her to finally break down the wall she had built up, and go talk to him. He wanted to be there for her, but she wasn't letting him. That needed to chance.

Clare brushed her curls with her fingertips, and adjusted her sweater. She took a deep breath, and headed out the door. Sure enough, he was leaning against the cinderblock wall on the outside of the restroom. His arms were folded across his chest, and he had one foot pressed backwards against the wall. In his all black attire, Clare couldn't help but think he looked like he'd make a good model for some band's album art.

"Hey," she nudged him with her shoulder, "Are you ready to go meet up with your parents?"

"Sure. Everything okay with you?"

"Fine," Clare stopped herself, and decided to chisel the first stone from the wall she had built, "Actually…I wasn't really okay. But I'm better now."

"You sure?" Eli raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she smiled, confident in her answer, "I am. Thank you."

"Just doin' my job," Eli smirked and casually threw his arm across her shoulders as he had done so many times before, "Come on. I can't wait for you to meet my Grandmother."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Eli didn't know what possessed him to do something so forward, but it had just felt right. When they dated, he always had his arm swung casually over her shoulder. It was just natural. He felt like she was safest when she was under his wing. The writer in him cringed at the literal cliché. But it was true. He felt like he could protect her best if she was right there in his arms. And he absolutely detested the fact that he hadn't been able to protect her for the months since the breakup. Who had protected her? Certainly not her mom. Jake? The jockstrap? The jockstrap with as many brains as his basketball? Eli didn't think so.

She had admitted to him that she hadn't been fine; at least that was an improvement over her trying to act like everything was perfectly okay. She was hurting; Eli knew that. But at least with his arm around her, she was smiling.

That smile was his world. He'd do anything for that smile, for her eyes to light up like they did. She was hurting because of her family, but there in the middle of the airport – with him – she was happy. Eli caught her eyes in his, and pulled her closer to him, hugging her against him.

"Clare?"

"Hmm?"

"I just want to tell you something important…and it can't exactly wait."

He could feel her tense, "Eli…"

"Clare, it's important. I just don't think I can wait to tell you this any longer…"

"What…what is it?" He could hear the nerves in her voice.

"It's just…well…you have dog breath."

"_Eli_!"

He dropped his arm and dodged out of reach, thwarting a smack. He was laughing as Clare went after him.

"_Eli Goldsworthy_!" Clare glared daggers at him, not falling for the oh-so-innocent look he was currently sporting, "Get that look off your face this instant. You're a dead man!"

The look vanished and was replaced with an oh-crap look as Eli took off down the terminal. Clare just stood there for a second as people watched him run. They must think he's crazy, Clare shook her head. She knew what he wanted. He wanted her to chase him. There was no way Clare was going to give into that. Nope sir-ee bob. Clare Edwards was not about to go running through an airport chasing after some crazy person. It just wasn't going to happen.

So why then was she running? And what was that feeling of pressure on her cheeks? Was she smiling? Yes, she was smiling and chasing after Eli Goldsworthy in the middle of the airport. It was official, Clare rolled her eyes, she had gone crazy.

Eli didn't even care that the airport was staring at him, or the fact that someone was currently paging security. He could hear Clare laughing, and that was all that mattered to him. That's all that he cared about or noticed.

Quickly, he dashed out the doors of the airport to the pickup-drop off area, and right into his father.

"Oof…what the hell?" Bullfrog turned around and faced his son, "_Eli_…"

Eli hung his head, realizing that he must have made a fool out of himself, "Dad…"

Clare ran out the doors too, and upon seeing Eli with his parents, she quickly stopped in her tracks, panting.

"What the hell are you two doing? Are you _trying_ to get yourselves thrown into the mental ward?" Bullfrog rolled his eyes, "Wait…I know what happened," Bullfrog crossed his arms over his chest, "You said something that pissed her off, huh?"

"That might sort of be something along the lines of what possibly might have…"

"Eli," Bullfrog raised an eyebrow, "Whatever. I give up. Clare, if we weren't surrounded by people, I'd tell you to do whatever you wanted with him."

"But thank goodness we're in public, huh!" Eli grinned.

"Shut it," Bullfrog didn't even miss a beat, "I called your Grandmother and she's on our way and should be here in about ten minutes. There was a snow storm last night, but the roads are pretty much clear, and she said she'd try and be here as fast as she can."

"Clare, are you warm enough, baby?" Cece asked, "It's chilly out here. We can wait inside…"

"I'm fine, thank you though," Clare couldn't help but treasure that question. Cece always had worried over her and fussed over like she was her own daughter. Clare tried to shake the thoughts of her own mother from her mind, "I can't wait to meet Charlotte."

"She's something alright," Cece chuckled.

"My baby-girl and my mother didn't always have the best relationship," Bullfrog pulled Cece from behind into his arms, "In fact, that's pretty much the understatement of the year."

"Your mom just didn't appreciate the fact that I had green hair and a nose ring when we went to prom."

"_Seriously_?" Eli snickered, "Green hair?"

Cece laughed, "It was a phase. But oh man…when she saw me I was so scared that I had given the woman a heart attack or something. She was _not_ happy about Bullfrog dating me at all!"

"But she learned to live with it."

"Barely," she rolled her eyes, "It was a struggle. Even after I lost the green hair…I don't think she appreciated the blue hair any better."

"But you were a rebel too," Eli reminded his dad, "Surely mom's hair couldn't shock her much in comparison to the stuff you did."

"Well…" Bullfrog grabbed the nape of his neck uncomfortably, "To tell you the truth…I wasn't near as much a rebel as I was after I met your mom. Then the _real_ trouble started."

"Remember when we got caught sneaking into the school?"

"What?" Eli's eyes bulged from their sockets, "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Bullfrog grinned, kissing his wife on the neck, "Crazy, huh? I mean, normally I was trying to sneak _out_ of school…not in. But this crazy lady over here convinced me to sneak in and TP the gymnasium."

"Seriously?" Clare asked.

"Yup," Cece grinned, "It was our stance against all things competitive sports."

"But you were in that band…what was it called?"

"Zombie Frogs of Death and Dismay," Bullfrog beamed proudly, "And that was also after meeting your mother. Uncle Jimmy and I started up that band out of his garage. My baby-girl definitely brought out my wild side," Bullfrog kissed her again, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Don't worry, you don't bring out my wild side," Clare looked to Eli, "You just drive me wild."

"I do?"

"Oh God," Clare winced, "Not like that. I meant wild like…like crazy. Not like…"

Eli raised an eyebrow, "Backpedaling isn't exactly your strong suit."

"_Eli_!"

"So I drive you wild, huh?" He crossed his arms over his chest, smirking, "What other effects do I have on you?"

"You definitely provide my gag reflex with quite a bit of exercise," Clare rolled her eyes.

"Is that all?"

"I would hit you, but I don't want to hurt you in front of your parents."

"Oh," Bullfrog held up his hands, "Don't mind us."

"Dad…"

"Don't '_Dad_' me," Bullfrog shook his head, "You brought this on yourself, kid."

"But…she scares me."

Bullfrog just shrugged before going over and grabbing Cece and kissing her. People were staring, but he didn't care. When they pulled away, she'd be smiling and her eyes would be dancing. That smile and those eyes were all that mattered to him, all that he cared about at the moment.

"Clare…" Eli backed up slowly, "You know I didn't mean…_Dad_…"

"Bullfrog seems to be a bit busy at the moment," Clare shrugged, "So it's just you and me."

"Don't hurt me," Eli whimpered, "I'll do anything."

"_Anything_?" Clare raised an eyebrow.

Uh-oh. Eli knew he was going to regret that.

"Uh…maybe not _anything_…"

"I will spare you my wrath and indignation on _one_ condition."

"Yes?" Eli winced, knowing he was going to dread whatever she had to say.

"I want you to proclaim your undying love for…Justin Bieber here in front of everyone."

"_No_," Eli gasped, "You can't!"

Clare raised an eyebrow, "Alright, alright!" Eli gave in, "I'll do it."

"Go ahead then," Clare waved to his 'audience', "We're waiting."

Eli looked up at her with those puppy dog eyes of his, but she wasn't going to cave. He had to just suck it up and do it, "Uh…" Eli cleared his throat, "I…um…I have an…er…an announcement."

"Oh no," Bullfrog put his palm against his forehead, "Oh no."

"Lord," Cece shook her head.

"I…Eli Goldsworthy…love…Justin Beiber!"

"And?" Clare encouraged as people were staring and snickering. Eli wanted to murder her.

"And I think he is the most…talented…artist…of…our time!"

"Good job," Clare patted him on the shoulder, "That wasn't _so_ bad was it?"

Eli shot her a death glare, "I'll kill you."

"So uh…Justin Bieber," someone standing next to them asked.

"It was a dare," Eli tried to explain, "I really don't…I like artists like Rob Zombie and Metallica and Pantera…and Red Hot Chili Peppers…and Dead Hand…and Halestorm and…"

The bystander just raised an eyebrow and walked away. Eli glared at Clare, "You're unbelievable, you know that, right? I'm supposed to be the pain in the ass, not you."

"I learned from the best," Clare grinned, "Aw, don't look so upset. No one will even remember…"

"Is that a smartphone?" Eli pointed an accusing finger at another bystander, "Did you record that? That _better_ not end up on Youtube or else…or else…"

The man chuckled and said, "Or else what? You'll…_and I was like baby, baby, baby, oooh_?"

"Clare?"

"Yes, Eli?"

"You're dead."

A horn honking interrupted them, and Clare had to admit, she was grateful. She might have gone a little too far with the Justin Bieber thing, but Eli couldn't pick on her without expecting some form of payback.

The honking horn belonged to a red Cadillac, and Bullfrog announced, "She's here!"

The Cadillac pulled up the curb so quickly that the left tire jumped the concrete. It didn't seem to faze the driver though. She hopped out of the car as if it were no big deal and ran right up to Eli.

"_Eli_!" The woman with bluish-gray hair and bulky Christmas tree sweater grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, "Oh my goodness! You're getting so big!"

"Hey, Grandmother," Eli hugged her back and kissed her cheek, "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, honey. Liam, how are you!"

"Liam?" Clare raised an eyebrow at Eli.

"I know," Eli grinned as if it was just the most exciting thing in the world, "Isn't it great? You didn't think Bullfrog was his given name, did you?"

Clare shrugged.

"And this must be Clare," the woman turned to Clare and pulled her into a hug, "It's so nice to meet you, sweetie!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Charlotte," Clare returned the hug.

"And she's so pretty, Eli! You definitely know how to pick them!"

"Grandmother…Clare and I aren't…"

"Eli, I may be old but I am not stupid. I know you two aren't…oh how do you say it these days…_together_? Yeah, I know you two aren't _together_ anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't compliment her on how beautiful she is, or remind you of what a mistake it was losing this one. At least you have the sense to keep her as a friend."

Eli groaned, "Grandmother…"

"Eli," Bullfrog stepped in, "Help me get these bags in the trunk."

"Hi, Charlotte," Cece approached her mother in law, "It's good to see you again."

"_Cecelia_!" Charlotte hugged her, "You have blonde hair!"

"Yeah," Cece shrugged, "I haven't dyed it any funky colors in awhile. Wish I could say the same about you. What is that color called, _cotton candy commotion_?"

Charlotte laughed, "Remember what I always used to say? When I turned seventy I would buy myself a sports car and dye my hair old-lady-blue!"

"Grandmother…I uh…hate to tell you this but a Cadillac isn't exactly…"

"Oh hush, Eli!" Charlotte said with the wave of her hand, "My Hot Tamale is all the sports car I need. She serves me well. Alright, I don't know about any of you, but I am freezing my tooshie off! Let's get in the car and we can talk on the way to the house!"

Eli held open one of the passenger doors for Clare, "Don't mind her, she's crazy," he grinned.

"I think she's great," Clare said honestly.

"Great, but crazy," Eli rolled his eyes, "She did have something right."

"What's that?" Clare asked, sliding into the seat.

Eli hopped in next to her and shut the door. Cece slid in on the other side of her, and as Clare was putting her seatbelt on, Eli leaned in and whispered into her ear, "You are beautiful."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: WARNING: This chapter does contain a bit more profanity than the other chapters. If you don't like it, don't read it. But I'm just warning you, this chapter should probably be rated T.

Chapter Ten

Eli wanted to smack himself for saying that. Where the hell had that come from? But a small, shy smile playing across Clare's face let him know that it wasn't a completely unwelcomed compliment.

"When we get to the house," Charlotte explained, "I want everyone to unpack and get settled in, then Liam and Eli can go to the tree farm tonight and get the tree."

"Mom, it's late," Bullfrog reminded her, "It'll be dark by the time…"

"I'll pack you two some hot chocolate," Charlotte dismissed his objection, "Clare, I apologize for not having better accommodations, but someone – either you or Eli – is going to have to crash on the futon in the living room."

"That's fine," Clare figured a cardboard box under a bridge would still be more comfortable to sleeping in her own room back home.

"I can take the futon if you want," Eli suggested, "You can have my room."

"Thanks," Clare smiled up at him, and tried to get the butterflies in her stomach to calm down. Eli's "you're beautiful" comment had caught her so off-guard, and her stomach had been doing summersaults ever since, and her heart felt as if it were on a trampoline.

"Just friends" didn't tell each other they were beautiful. Did that comment mean that Eli still had feelings for her? Feelings that ran deeper than just being her friend? Clare's head swam with the questions and emotions he made her think and feel. She started to feel dizzy.

The Cadillac pulled into a driveway of a two-story house covered in multi-colored Christmas lights. Clare remembered what her mom had said on the phone – that she and Glen were going to put up the Christmas lights together…a task that had always been her father's job. Clare tried to shake the thought from her head. She was not going to allow her mom to bring her down.

Once inside the house, Clare felt as if she had just stepped into a Christmas Wonderland, or a Hallmark store. Everything was decorated for the holidays – there were lights, and garland, and figurines, and Christmas music playing from an old record player, there were stockings by the chimney, and the whole house smelled of Christmas cookies and eggnog.

"I'll show you your room," Eli suggested, grabbing her bag for her.

"Oh you don't have to…" Clare object as Eli waddled up the stairs with her bag.

"It's fine," he shrugged, "This is your room."

He led her to a room at the end of the hall. It was small – just a bed and a dresser, but it felt homey and comfortable. Clare knew she would enjoy staying here.

"Thank you, Eli."

"No problem. I hope you and Cece and Grandmother have fun while Bullfrog and I get the Christmas tree. It's kind of a tradition."

"I like Christmas traditions," Clare unzipped her suitcase that Eli had tossed on to the bed.

"Just promise me you girls won't eat all the cookies and eggnog before we get back," he smirked and nudged her with his shoulder, sending an electric bold throughout her body.

"D-don't worry," Clare stuttered, desperately trying to calm the butterflies…and her heart, "We…we won't."

* * *

"_Shit_," Bullfrog rummaged through the black suitcase, "Baby-Girl, have you seen my meds?"

"No," Cece appeared from in the bathroom where she was setting up their toiletries, "Are you sure you packed them?"

"I can't find them anywhere and I was supposed to take them about lunch time."

"It's already eight o'clock," Cece frowned, "How are you feeling?"

"Alright, just tired. Maybe it'll be alright," Bullfrog tried to sound positive, "I mean, surely going a few days without them won't hurt anything, right?"

"I don't know, baby…" Cece looked apprehensive.

Bullfrog shrugged, "I'll be fine," he said, "Don't you girls eat all the goodies while we're out getting that tree," he grinned at his wife.

"We'll try not to," Cece pulled her husband into her arms and gave him a kiss, "You and Eli have fun, alright?"

"Oh yeah," Bullfrog reached his hands down and grabbed her butt, "But I'm looking forward to coming home to _you_!"

"Not in your mom's house," Cece objected.

"You're not getting old on me, are you?" Bullfrog touched his nose to hers, "This is my old room, Baby-Girl. And if I remember correctly, _that_ bed is where we…"

"Dad, are you ready to go!"

"Hold that thought," Cece smiled to her husband, "You two better be safe while you're out."

"Always are," Bullfrog kissed his wife one more time before heading down the stairs to meet Eli.

* * *

"I hate this weather," Bullfrog grumbled as the car slowly made its way down the slick asphalt, "I swear, I don't know why Mom couldn't have gotten the tree sooner."

"You know how she is," Eli reminded his dad, "She likes it when you and I go get it together, and she likes putting it up at midnight on Christmas Eve."

"She's not the one that has to drive in the snow to go get one. And I don't know why she didn't have us do this during the daytime. It's too damn dark out here to see anything."

Bullfrog was not in a good mood. Eli decided to busy himself by looking out the window at the passing scenery. It was dark, but he could still make out the obscure shadowy figures of the trees aligning the highway. What his dad was angry about, Eli didn't know. He knew trying to get into his dad's head was an impossible feat, so why bother trying? Instead, Eli let his mind flutter back to Clare.

He had called her beautiful in the car. Why had he done that? They were supposed to be just friends, and last he checked, friends don't go around whispering "you're beautiful" into other friends' ears. It just doesn't happen. Maybe he and Clare weren't meant to just be friends. Maybe they were meant to be together, or nothing at all. Eli rubbed his brow with his fingertips and tried to ward off the headache that was approaching.

Why did he even like her so much? All she was, was a headache. She drove him absolutely crazy and turned everything all upside down. She was like a tornado, a hurricane. Just when he thought he had everything figured out, she had to come back into his life and disrupt everything.

"Did I miss the exit?" Bullfrog asked, his question awaking Eli from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Damn it, Eli! Did I miss the exit or not?"

"I-I don't know…" which exit they needed to take to get to the tree farm had been the last thing on Eli's mind.

"_Eli_! What the hell were you doing over there? Just spacing out? _Geeze_. Wake up and pay attention! I can't believe we missed the freakin' exit because of you!"

Eli glanced at his dad a little concernedly. His dad hardly ever yelled at him, and when he did, it was because Eli usually had been a pain in the ass and deserved it. But missing the exit hadn't been his fault. Maybe he could have paid better attention, but that didn't mean his dad had to go and yell at him for it. Maybe Bullfrog was just stressed about something. Eli knew how stress could turn his dad into a roaring beast.

"Sorry, Bullfrog…" Eli didn't really know what else to say.

"Oh, so you're sorry? We miss our fucking exit and you're _sorry_?"

"Dad…"

"Just shut up, Eli. Just sit there and shut up. This is why I don't like dealing with you. Because you have to go and fucking screw everything up."

"Dad…"

Bullfrog didn't even realize what he had done until he saw the red mark on Eli's cheek. Then he snapped out of it, _fast_.

"Oh my God…" he yanked the car over into the shoulder lane, and slammed on the breaks. He jolted the shift into park, and turned to his son. He reached out to try and touch his cheek, but Eli recoiled.

"_Shit_, Eli," Bullfrog hissed, "_Shit_! Oh my God…kid…_kid_ look at me?"

Eli couldn't. Memories of a night almost ten years ago came flooding back into his head. His dad and that belt and that look in his eye. Eli had had nightmares about that night. He sat there in shock for a moment, before finally deciding that throwing the passenger door open and jumping out of the car was a good idea.

"God damn it," Bullfrog hopped out of the car and after his son, "Eli…kid…can we at least talk about this? I fucked up, alright? I shouldn't have yelled at you and I shouldn't have hit you. Kid…come on, kid. _Look at me_."

Eli didn't even turn around. It was freezing outside and he tugged the black coat closer around his body. They were precisely five miles from his grandmother's house. If he started now, and kept walking, he could make it there in…

"_Eli_! Just stop for five seconds and let me talk to you!"

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Ouch," Bullfrog winced, "Alright. I deserve that. I deserve more than that. You want to hit me back?" He suggested, "I'll let you hit me back. Right on the cheek as hard as you want…come on kid…at least look at me."

Bullfrog had realized when they had arrived has his mom's house and when he was helping Cece unpack their bags that he had forgotten his pills at home. I'll be okay, he told himself. He had taken those pills every day for almost ten years. He had never missed a day before until now. And what had he done? He had hurt his son, his baby.

"Eli…" Bullfrog jogged to keep up with his son's pace, "Kid…if you aren't going to talk to me, can I at least talk to you?"

Eli shot his dad a look that clearly said, "_go-to-hell_," but Bullfrog knew he needed to talk to his son, and he knew that Eli needed to hear what he had to say.

"I have Bipolar Disorder," the words spilled from his mouth like a broken faucet.

"What?" Eli turned and faced his dad.

"I should have told you…I know I should have told you. I just…it's genetic you know? You got it because I carried the phenotype for it and…"

"_I know all about the science of it_," Eli's voice was like the ice on the asphalt – slick and cold.

"Then you know how I probably blame myself for you having it," Bullfrog ran a hand through his hair, "I gave you a lot of good, kid – my hair, my taste in music, my humor, my smirk…but I gave you my disorder, and I gave you my temper. That night…when I hit you the first time…I walked out that door and thought that I'd never return. How could I possibly go back?"

"But you came back," Eli reminded him.

"I did," Bullfrog shuffled his feet, "Because your mom made me promise I'd get help. I thought I just had anger issues. I saw a therapist and…he gave me an evaluation. He also told me that I needed to schedule an appointment with a…with a psychologist as soon as possible."

Bullfrog sighed and continued, "I have Bipolar Disorder, kid. Every day, I take my meds and fight not to do anything fucking stupid like I did tonight. You and your mom, kid, the two of you are my world. And I don't care if it's sappy or cheesy, but I love you and I…I could just die for what I did to you."

Eli softened, "Dad…"

"When we got to your Grandmother's, I realized that in all the commotion of the morning, that I forgot to pack my meds. I haven't missed a day of taking them in those ten years, kid. Not one day. I figured I'd be alright…but I guess…"

"You should have told me," Eli said, shaking his head, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I'm your dad, kid. I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you, not the other way around. I'm supposed to be the one who's strong and perfect and superman in your eyes. I'm not supposed to be…like this."

_"Damn it_," Eli hissed, and kicked at the pavement, "I can't believe I'm about to say this…_God damn it_! Dad…you've _always_ been superman to me," Eli made a face, "Can I go puke now?"

Bullfrog chuckled, "Thanks, kid. Yeah, we aren't ones for the deep family stuff, huh?"

"Nope," Eli let a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.

"Eli…since we're doing this whole little moment…and I know it won't last long and we'll be back to having each other's hands around each other's throats…but I just wanted to let you know…that you're my baby and…"

"_Dad_!" Eli protested, "_God_!"

"I'm gonna finish this," Bullfrog pointed an adamant finger at his son, "and I love you and I am so sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for hitting you…I'm sorry for not telling you the truth…I'm sorry for throwing you on the ground and shoving snow down your shirt if you don't get your ass back in the car in exactly five seconds…"

"Alright, alright," Eli grinned, holding up his hands, "I'm going, I'm going."

"Eli…I love you, kid."

"You're going to make me fucking say it, aren't you?" Eli raised an eyebrow.

"_Language_," Bullfrog reminded him, though it was a useless battle. Each time Bullfrog tried to tell his son not to curse, he would and Eli took it as a sign not to listen.

"Sorry," Eli grumbled, "You're going to make me _freakin_' say it, aren't you?"

"No," Bullfrog shrugged as they headed back to the car.

"Don't try that reverse psychology on me," Eli folded his arms over his chest, "Because I'm not saying it. You don't need to hear it to know that it's true."

"Fine," Bullfrog tugged the car door open, "Get in."

"Because you will be wasting your time," Eli slid into the passenger's seat.

"Alrighty then," Bullfrog turned the key in the ignition.

"I won't say it."

"You don't have to, Eli."

"Good. Because I won't."

"Good for you," Bullfrog maneuvered the car off the shoulder.

Eli wanted to kick himself for this, "Dad…"

"What, kid?"

"I love you. There. I said it. It's done and over. Let's move on shall we?"

Bullfrog grinned and reached over to ruffle Eli's hair, "Said what?" he smirked at his son.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"So tell me," Charlotte turned to Clare, "What _is_ the deal with you and my grandson."

"Lord, Char," Cece rolled her eyes, "Don't scare the girl off."

"I'm not," Charlotte took a sip of eggnog, "I just want to know what's going on with the pair of you. One minute I hear he's got this fantastic girlfriend, the next I hear you two have broken up…yet here you are in my living room celebrating the holidays."

"It's…complicated," Clare didn't even know where to begin, "I loved your grandson, ma'am. And I still do…very much. I just don't know if we can ever work out again. What if we get together and then break up again? I don't think I can handle losing him twice."

"Honey, hasn't anyone ever told you that if your love is strong enough, it can conquer anything, including fears and doubts?"

"Your son, actually," Clare admitted.

"He's a smart one, my Liam. He and Eli are a lot alike in many different ways," Charlotte leaned back in her chair by the fire and smiled a faraway smile.

"That's an understatement," Cece grinned, "Those two could be brothers. Sometimes I feel like I have two sons instead of just one. The other night they had a food fight at the dinner table," Cece rolled her eyes, "I wanted to ground the both of them. Clare, I see the way Eli looks at you. It's the same look my husband gives to me. He's head-over-heels for you, baby."

"And I'm head-over-heels for him too," Clare blushed and allowed the smile to spread across her face, "I just don't really know what to do…"

"Well you did kiss him," Cece reminded her, "So I think the ball's in his court now. He's gotta make the next move…if he's smart enough."

"He's taking awhile," Clare sighed, and bit into a sugar cookie.

"He's scared, baby," Cece shook her head, "He's terrified. He's scared to pieces about losing you again. You are the world to him, Clare-Bear. He is so in love with you."

Clare felt the butterflies come back, and the blush deepened upon her cheeks, "Cece…how did you know that Bullfrog was the one?"

Cece blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "When I got butterflies at the very mention of his name. When the prospect of spending a day without him by my side was almost too much to bear. When I realized that I felt like I had always known him. He's my soulmate, Clare. I believe I did know him prior to meeting him in this life. I just feel like I have always known who he was, and that he's always been a part of my life."

"That's…that's how I feel about your son."

"Then he better grow a pair and make his move," Cece laughed, "Before I decide to smack some sense into him. Nah, but seriously, I bet he's just scared and trying to sort out his shit before…_oops_…sorry Charlotte."

Charlotte chuckled, "Cecelia, I am Liam's mother. I am used to cursing at this point. Clare, I have a feeling he's going to do something soon about those feelings of his. Just try and be patient. He's worth it, right?"

"Of course," Clare didn't even have to think on it.

The front door swung open, and a long with a gust of snow and wind, in came Eli and Bullfrog. Snow peppered their jackets and their hair.

"Alright," Bullfrog turned to the girls, "It got quiet when we walked in…that's not a good sign."

"Were you all talking about us?" Eli asked, shaking off the snow from his hair.

"Of course not," Cece held up the plate of cookies, "Cookie?"

"Don't bribe me with sweets," Eli scoffed, "I'm not falling for that. You guys _were_ talking about us."

"What happened to your cheek?" Cece demanded, noticing the splotch forming.

"Your _husband_," Eli shot a death-glare to his father, "Thought he'd be hilarious and throw a snowball at me."

"Unfortunately said snowball was more of an ice chunk," Bullfrog winced, "He'll live though, right kid?"

"No, I'm going to die," Eli rolled his eyes, "So where do you want us to put the tree? By the fireplace?"

"Oh yes," Charlotte stood from her chair, "Just set it in the stand right there. Tomorrow, after the Christmas Eve church service, we'll decorate it."

Clare looked towards Eli, puzzled. He didn't seem to notice though, and he and his dad excused themselves to go untie the tree from the roof of the car.

"That was a close one," Cece giggled, "I thought for sure they'd heard us."

That night, Clare was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on the bedroom door. She went to answer it, and was surprised to see Eli standing in the hallway. He had his hand on the nape of his neck, and was looking down at the carpeting.

"Eli?"

"Oh, hi!"

"Hi," Clare smiled, opening the door wider, "Want to come in?"

"If you don't mind," Eli slid in past her, "What are you up to?"

"Oh you know…just throwing a rave," when he looked puzzled, Clare rolled her eyes, "Getting ready for bed, dummy. What are you up to?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure," Clare shut the door behind him, "About what?"

"My dad…"

"Okay?"

"He hit me today, Clare."

"What?" Clare couldn't believe what she had heard. Just that day, Bullfrog said he regretted ever hurting Eli that ten years ago.

"Yeah," Eli sat down on the bed, "He also told me today that he has Bipolar Disorder."

"Wow," Clare sat down next to him, "That's a lot to deal with right now."

"I know," Eli looked up at her with the whole world in his eyes, "I just don't know what to think right now. I mean, he apologized for hurting me and we kind of had a moment in which we told each other that we…_get this_…love each other," Eli made a gagging noise, "But I just don't know what to think right now."

"Your dad loves you very much. That's what our conversation was about this afternoon. He told me that you are everything to him, and that the reason he wanted me to come along on this trip was so that we could try and become friends again…because he just wants you to be happy."

"And you make me happy," Eli looked down at his hands, "Clare…you…you mean the world to me, Clare. I know we're just taking things slow and I know we said we wouldn't have any pressure this week and that after the vacation we'd talk…but I just want you to know that you are my everything. I am so…happy we are becoming friends again."

"Me too, Eli," Clare placed a hand on his back and used her nails to trace along his back, "I love that we are getting to become friends again. I really missed you. A lot."

"Me too," Eli shivered under her touch. He tried not to think too hard on the fact that friends don't give each other back rubs...or take advantage of their tickle spots, "_Hey_!" He squirmed.

"Sorry," Clare chuckled. She knew this wasn't what "_just friends_" do. She knew they were absolutely head-over-heels for one another, but neither would admit it. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't about to force herself into trying to be platonic with him – that would fail miserably.

Eli made a face at her before relaxing back into her touch. Yeah, this was definitely not what "_just friends_" do. He wasn't going to complain though…it was nice. He really wanted to just grab her and throw her down on the bed and kiss her as if his life depended on it. But friends didn't really do that either. He felt stuck. He wanted so desperately to be more than friends, but he had promised her they'd hold off on discussing that until after the vacation.

Clare let her fingernails trail down his back to his lower left side of his stomach. She thought she heard a squeak escape his lips just before he squirmed away.

"You're doing that on purpose," Eli glared at her, "That's not fair!"

"How's that not fair? I don't remember signing an agreement when we broke-up that I would just forget all your tickle spots. Remember when I first found out you were ticklish. You tried to deny it so much until you were practically blue in the face from holding back your giggling."

"I do _not_ giggle," Eli scoffed at the word, "Eli Goldsworthy does _not_ giggle."

"Wanna bet?" Clare grinned, attacking that spot once again, and once again – a second squeak.

"You're right," Clare laughed, "You don't giggle. You _squeak_."

"Shut up."

"_Shut up_," Clare mimicked.

"Do you _want_ me to tickle you?" Eli shot her a look, "We both know how cruel I can be."

"So um…what's the deal with church tomorrow?"

"That's what I thought," Eli smirked, "And it's just something we've always done with my grandmother. She likes to go for the Christmas Eve service, and I figure it won't hurt me to go to church once a year."

"I haven't been to church in a while," Clare admitted, "Glen doesn't go, so Mom doesn't go."

"Whoa, I thought…"

"Yeah. She used to be really into her faith, and now she's just really into Glen."

"I'm sorry."

Clare shrugged, "It's alright. I'm glad I can be here, and not stuck at home while she swoons over him and while Jake…does whatever it is Jake does. I'm having a really good time here. Your mom and grandmother and I had a good talk earlier."

"About?"

"Nice try," Clare smirked, "You know better."

"You're tired," Eli commented as Clare stifled a yawn, "Why don't I let you get some sleep."

"But I like talking with you," Clare objected.

"Alright, but at least get in bed and lay down. I'd feel better if I wasn't keeping you up."

Clare did as she was told and crawled under the blankets, "Eli, you are lucky you know."

"How so?" He asked, looking down at her, a small smile on his face.

"Your parents."

Eli nodded in agreement, "They aren't too shabby, huh? They really like having you around for the holidays. They like having a daughter around."

"They're really great. They really do love you a lot."

"And I love them…but don't tell them or else I'd have to kill you," Eli grinned, "It's snowing again," he glanced up at the window next to Clare's bed.

"I wonder what snow would sound like if it made noise," Clare mused.

"I've missed those questions for yours," Eli tucked a curl behind her ear, "Probably chimes."

"Like the sounds twinkling stars would make if they made sounds."

"Yup, exactly like that," Eli let his hand rest against the side of her head for a moment before pulling it away, "Tomorrow we're going to decorate the tree and you can help Cece and Grandmother cook if you want. They always make this big dinner for us to have. Then we go off to church."

"We used to do a lot of Christmas traditions," Clare sighed, "I kind of miss that."

"You're a big girl, Edwards," Eli let the smile tug more on his lips, "You can make your own traditions."

"I'm really glad I can share these traditions with your family, Eli. It means a lot to me."

"It's nice having you around again, Clare. I should probably hit the hay…"

"I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah…" Eli stood from the bed, but stopped himself before heading towards the door, "Just friends don't kiss each other good night, do they?"

"No," Clare let a small, shy smile cross her face, "But I'm sure I can make an exception to that rule – given our past and all – and allow you to kiss me on the cheek."

Eli let out a small groan which Clare found to be totally adorable, "I guess that's better than nothing," he agreed, and bent down pecking her on the cheek, "Good night, Clare-Bear."

"Good night, Eli."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

He couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about that kiss. Why didn't he just give her a real kiss, on the lips? Like she had done the other night? Why did he keep tip-toeing around what they both knew? Because, Eli reminded himself, I promised her there wouldn't be any pressure. I promised her we'd spend this vacation figuring things out, and then we'd go from there. I can't wait, but I have to be patient. I don't want to rush her or pressure her.

Eli watched the tongues of the fire dance and listened to the soothing crackle of the logs. She had kissed him though. She had gone up to him and kissed him…and it was a pretty darn good kiss at that. Eli thought back to that kiss, and how he had dumbly just stood there. Wow. That had been his first though. Wow, and what the hell just happened.

As Eli was tossing and turning, footsteps on the stairs drew him from his thoughts.

"Clare?" He called, his voice hinting with hopefulness.

"Nope," Bullfrog chuckled, "It's just your dumb ol' man coming downstairs for a drink of water."

Eli rolled his eyes and flung his head back on the pillow, "She's driving me crazy!" He groaned.

"Is that so?" Bullfrog smirked, "At least it wasn't a far drive…"

"_Dad_…"

"Sorry," Bullfrog sat on the coffee table in front of the futon, "Here's my question in all of this: why the _hell _haven't you done anything about her yet?"

"I-I promised her that we would take it slow…and that we wouldn't discuss our…feelings…until after the vacation. I wanted to have this vacation be a time where we could…collect our thoughts and really…think about what we want."

"I think the two of you already know what you want," Bullfrog raised an eyebrow, "Now, she kissed you at the frosti-thingy. That means that she likes you, kid. She put the ball in your court, and now she's just waiting for you to do something about it."

"But I promised her…"

"Eli, I don't think she wants you to hold true that promise right now," Bullfrog smirked, "I think she wants you to make your move, and she's been waiting patiently."

"But Clare is just so…"

"So what?"

Eli laughed and shook his head, "_Everything_. She's wonderful, amazing, beautiful, my moon, my stars, a pain in my ass, annoying, obnoxious…"

"And you're head over heels for her," Bullfrog ruffled his son's hair, "You know, I got your mom to take me back…"

"By sleeping with her on the picnic table," Eli made a face, "That's not exactly going to happen with Clare. Other suggestions would be nice."

"I was going to say, besides sleeping with her on the picnic table, that I didn't think I really had to even try to get her to take me back. She already wanted to, but I just had to let her know my feelings for her. You need to let Clare know how you feel, kid. You can't keep her in the dark like this."

Eli knew his dad was right, as usual, "I guess you're right."

"Whoa, did my son just tell me I was right about something?" Bullfrog grinned, "Let me go alert the media."

"Shut up," Eli rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "Dad…how did you know when mom was the one?"

"Easy," Bullfrog smiled a faraway smile, "It was when I realized how much she loved me, in spite of myself."

Eli nodded, completely understanding, "I think I am going to do something about what I feel for Clare."

"Good," Bullfrog pushed himself up from the coffee table, "See you in the morning, kid."

"'Night, Dad."

When Bullfrog had gone upstairs, Eli hopped out of the futon and made his way to Clare's room. His dad was right. Sitting around waiting for the vacation to be over when they both knew they wanted to be together was dumb. He needed her and she needed him. Eli made it to her room and threw the door open.

"Eli?" Clare turned over in bed, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep, and it's all your fault."

"Excuse me?" Clare wasn't quite following.

"You get into my head, Edwards. I think about you _all the time_. I can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop…wanting to just grab you and kiss you and I _hate_ this whole "_just friends_" thing. I hate it _so much_. I want to hold you in my arms again, Edwards. I want to kiss you and kiss you, and kiss you whenever the hell I want. I want to call you _my girlfriend_ again. I want to hold your hand. I want to…"

"Eli," Clare interrupted.

"I'm not finished."

"I know," Clare let a shy smile spread across her lips, "But I'm telling you, shut up and kiss me."

Eli decided it'd be best to listen to her and went over to her, cupping her face in his hand, and kissing her sweetly. When they pulled away, Clare was smirking.

"Eli Goldsworthy, is that all you got?" She asked.

Eli let out a throaty chuckle before tackling her to the bed. Pinning her down, holding her in place, Eli grabbed her lips in his and kissed as if his life depended on it. He kissed her with a greedy, passionate, thirty kind of kiss that made Clare's head go dizzy. When they pulled away, she said, "Now that's more like it."

Eli chuckled again, and pressed his nose against hers, "I have wanted to do that for months."

"I've been wanting you to do that for months," Clare sighed, running a hand through his long hair, "I've missed those kisses."

"I've missed them too," Eli admitted, "I miss the look in your eyes after we'd kiss."

"I've missed the look in your eyes when you want to kiss me."

"You're dangerous, Edwards."

"How's that?"

"You've got me wrapped around that little finger of yours."

Clare smiled sweetly, "And you know you wouldn't want it any other way."

"That's right," Eli grinned, planting a sweet kiss on her forehead, "I never…I _never_ stopped loving you, Clare. I want you to know that. I never did. I royally fucked up last year, and I have lived with that regret and pain. I never stopped…thinking of you or caring for you."

"Me either," Clare admitted, "I only was with Jake because I thought it'd get my mind off of the pain I was feeling of losing you. I liked Jake, and I do care for him, but he and I weren't meant to be. We kind of threw ourselves together trying to make something beautiful out of an already beautiful thing we already had. And in the end, all we ended up doing was making it a mess. With you…things just come so naturally. With you…I don't have to think."

"Loving you is the most natural thing in the world to me," Eli admitted, "After breathing."

"Eli…I don't want to creep you out with going too fast or anything…but I was talking to your mom and she said she knew that your father was the one for her because…well, because she felt like she had always known him. She couldn't imagine a time in her life when he wasn't a part of her life. She said it's because they're…soul mates. She thinks their souls knew each other people they, as people, met."

"Crazy," Eli was stunned, his eyes wide, "I feel that way about you. But _little miss cynical_ suddenly doesn't believe in soul mates, so I guess…"

"Shut up," Clare smiled, "You know I do."

"You had me worried there for awhile. I know things are tough at your place right now, but I don't want what you're going through to drag you down and tear you apart so much. I want my Clare to still believe in soul mates and go to church and do all those things that you used to do and love before Glen walked in and messed everything up."

"I just don't feel like I belong there anymore…I feel like a stranger in the house I grew up in."

"Well, there's one place you belong, and that's with me, in my arms," Eli rolled off of her, and laid down on the bed next to her.

"That's the only place I want to be," Clare smiled up at him, and ran a hand through his hair, "Eli…I know we've gone through so much…but you've always been the voice in the back of my head – sometimes I hated it, and sometimes I found in comforting. You've always been the one I wanted to run to with news or when I was in need of a shoulder to cry on. You're the only one I want, Eli – the only one I need."

Eli tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "It was so tough seeing you at school everyday and wanting to approach you and talk to you. I have Adam and Fiona and Imogen and Drew and Bianca, but I still would feel so…lonely without you being there."

"Adam and I still hung out," Clare admitted.

"I know," Eli smiled, "I would never ask you to stop being friends with him. He's going to be so excited when he sees us after the vacation."

"I know," Clare could just picture how happy he'd be for them, "He was getting kind of tired of me being so gloomy."

"Gloomy? You?" Eli chuckled, "Never."

"You'd be surprised."

"How tired are you?" Eli asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Eli Goldsworthy, if this is your attempt at getting me to…"

"I just wanted to know if I should go back to my futon, or if I could stay up and talk with you some more and…catch up."

"Oh," Clare blushed, "Stay, please. I want you to stay."

"Good, because I want to stay too," Eli grabbed hold of a cinnamon curl and twisted it around in his fingers, "Clare, I love being able to play with your hair again."

* * *

"Where is Eli?" Cece asked her husband as they came downstairs that morning.

"I bet I know where he is," Bullfrog smirked.

"You think?" Cece grinned, "Oh I hope so!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Wanna do me a huge favor? Check out my latest E-Clare oneshot entitled, "Cinnamon and Sugary and Softly Spoken Lies." It's one of my favorites out of my E-Clare oneshots/stories and I am quite proud of how it turned out. Thank you so much! Y'all are as awesome as peanut butter and celery, and that's pretty damn awesome!**

**Warning: This chapter is a tad... explicit...hehe :) **

Chapter Thirteen

Clare awoke to Eli propped up by his elbow, gently playing with her curls and smiling at her, "Good morning, Blue Eyes."

"Good morning," Clare yawned sleepily, "What time is it? How long have you been up?"

"It's about eight; I've only been up for a few minutes. I think Grandmother is making scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. Want to go down and eat?"

"Oh no!"

"What?" Eli looked alarmed, "What's the matter?"

"You slept here last night!"

"Clare," Eli rolled his eyes, "Do you really think my family cares? Hell, they're probably freakin' excited that you are I have worked things out. We have uh…worked things out, right?"

"Yes Eli," Clare smiled at him.

"Well if we are um…back together again…shouldn't that mean that I get an…oh I dunno…good morning kiss?"

He looked positively adorable, and there was no way Clare could say no. She pulled herself away from the comfort of the pillow and sweetly kissed him good morning. When they pulled away, she noticed the smile on his face.

"Okay, shoo!"

"Shoo?" He looked hurt.

"So I can get dressed, silly! I am starving and I'm not going downstairs in my pajamas!"

"Are you _sure_ I have to shoo?" Eli presented her with the best puppy-dog eyes he possibly could, but Clare merely kissed him on the cheek, then made a shooing motion with her wrist.

"Fine," he pouted, "I can take a hint. See you downstairs."

As Eli headed downstairs, he was greeted by his parents who were standing at the bottom of the stairs as if they had been waiting for him. They both had huge smiles on their faces, and Eli just wanted to melt into a puddle.

"I guess there's no chance of you just casually letting this go and we carry on with our day, huh?" Eli asked, already knowing the answer.

"Details. Spill them," Bullfrog commanded.

"It's no big deal," Eli shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged, "I just went up to talk to her last night and I ended up falling asleep in her room. No big deal."

"So…are you two back together?" Cece asked, a huge smile on her face.

"Yes, Mom," Eli rolled his eyes, "Clare and I are back together."

"So…did you make the next move, like I told you?" Bullfrog asked, then turned to Cece, "I told him to, you know."

Eli's eyes rolled to the ceiling again, and he shook his head, "Yes, Dad. I did what you told me, happy?"

"_See_?" Bullfrog grinned, "I gave him advice! And he took it! And now he and Clare are together again!"

"Well, _I_ gave Clare advice yesterday too," Cece folded her arms over her chest, "And she took it and now she and Eli are back together again."

"I still think it's because of my awesome fatherly advice."

"Guys," Eli held up a hand, "_Seriously_? Are you two _seriously_ doing this?"

"Breakfast is ready!" Charlotte called from the kitchen, "Come get it!"

Clare made her way down the stairs and was greeted by the smell of eggs and bacon. Charlotte had set the dining room table up and everything looked and smelled delicious. Her stomach grumbled just laying eyes on the delicious breakfast.

"Charlotte, this looks amazing!"

"Good morning, Clare! And thank you," Charlotte smiled at her, "I hope you enjoy."

"Clare," Cece grinned and winked at her, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"_God_, Mom," Eli slapped himself in the forehead with his hand.

"_What_?" Cece tried to look innocent, "It's just a question. Clare?"

"I slept wonderfully, thank you," Clare smiled shyly at Cece.

"And kid," Bullfrog turned to Eli, "What about you?"

"Dad," Eli rolled his eyes.

"I should have told you about the box I have in the bathroom…"

"Liam, don't be ridiculous," Charlotte rolled her eyes, scooping some eggs onto her plate, "I threw that out _years_ ago."

"_What_? That was a perfectly good box!"

"Well excuse me for not wanting to trust a box of twenty year old condoms."

"_Oh God_!" Eli buried his face in his hands.

"Bullfrog, can you pass the bacon?" Cece asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure, Baby-Girl," Bullfrog passed her the plate, "Mom, those were perfectly good condoms. _They glowed in the dark!_"

"Forgive me, Liam, but your penis is _not_ a light saber."

"_Grandmother_!" Eli shot Charlotte a look, "_God_!"

"What?" Charlotte shrugged, "Tell me, Eli, why would I keep twenty year old glow in the dark condoms?"

"I don't want to be in this conversation anymore," Eli buried his face back into his hands and shook his head.

"The eggs are delicious!" Clare piped up.

"Thank you, sweetie," Charlotte smiled at her, "Be sure to try some of that fresh-squeezed orange juice."

"You owe me fifteen bucks, Ma."

"Liam, stop it," Charlotte handed her son a pitcher of orange juice.

"Is that all they cost?" Cece raised an eyebrow, "Huh. Pretty awesome for fifteen dollars…"

"_Mother_!"

"Eli, don't yell at the dinner table."

"_Seriously_?" Eli glared at his mom, "Can I like disown you all?"

"No you may not," Cece handed her son a platter of eggs, "Eggs?"

"Fine," Eli rolled his eyes and accepted the plate.

"I'll buy you some more," Cece promised her husband, "Maybe Eli would like to try some…"

"_Mom_!"

"What did I say about yelling? You know, if you put them in the freezer…"

"Can I eat in my room?" Eli asked, "Please?"

"You were right about this orange juice, Charlotte," Clare lifted her glass, "It's delicious. I haven't had fresh-squeezed orange juice in years."

"I'm glad you like it, Clare. And Cecelia, the freezer? Interesting…"

"_Grandmother_!"

"Eli, don't yell at your Grandmother. If you can't behave and contain your outbursts, I am going to ask you to eat in your room," Cece shot her son a look.

"That's what I _want_!"

"Eli!"

"Clare, are you excited about decorating the tree?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas."

"Mine too. I collect ornaments, and each ornament is especially special to me," Charlotte explained, "Some I have had since I was a little girl."

"I can't wait to see them."

"Eli, I still have some of the ornaments you'd make for me."

"You would make ornaments?" Clare asked.

"Yeah," Eli shrugged, "They were from this kit Cece would always get each year in the mail. You could paint your own little ceramic ornaments. I'd always bring one for Grandmother each year."

"That's really sweet."

Eli shrugged again, as if it weren't a big deal.

"Thank you again for breakfast, Charlotte."

"Of course, Clare. I am glad we can all sit around as a family and eat together."

Clare's heart warmed at that statement. Family. She truly did feel like part of Eli's family. She was starting to even more like a member of his family than her own family.

"So, Ma, when do I get that fifteen bucks?"

"Liam…"

"You threw away my condoms!"

"Liam!"

"Dad!"

"_Eli_!"

Clare quietly shoveled a bite of eggs into her mouth and smiled. She felt…home.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"I can't believe them," Eli shook his head as he reached up and pulled a box of Christmas lights from a shelf in the basement, "I am so sorry."

"It's fine," Clare said, with a smile on her face, "I love your family! They're great."

"You wouldn't be saying that if your Grandmother was the one talking about glow in the dark condoms," Eli handed her the box and reached up to grab another, "My dad and I will wrap the tree up in lights, then everyone can help hang ornaments up. The tree always looks pretty hokey – like something out of a Hallmark commercial – but I guess it's pretty cool."

"I am really glad I'm spending Christmas with you all. I know I've been saying that a lot," Clare blushed, "But it's true."

"I'm glad you're spending Christmas with us too," Eli sat one of the boxes on the cement flooring, and reached up to touch one of her curls, "It still doesn't feel real," he admitted.

"I never would have thought everything would happen so fast," Clare admitted, "I still can't believe this is really…real. That I am here with you for the holidays…and we're back together."

"It's what you want, right?" There was a shadow of something in his eyes – could it be nervousness?

"Of course, Eli," Clare rolled her eyes, "Now come here and kiss me."

After they had brought up all the lights and decorations, Eli and his dad began wrapping the bows of the fir tree in the confetti-colored twinkling lights. Even after something as simple as a strand of lights, the tree looked as if it had been transformed. Clare and Eli next hung up the red and green and gold aluminum balls.

"It's looking terrific," Charlotte snapped a picture of Eli and Clare shoving each other and arguing over if one of the balls should be placed on the branch Clare had selected, or the branch directly above it – Eli's suggestion.

After the balls were hung – and Bullfrog, of course, made a perverted comment – it was time to hang up the rest of the ornaments. Charlotte opened several plastic Tupperware bins filled with various boxes, and directed everyone to go to work.

'Hang them wherever you want. There doesn't have to be a specific order."

Clare selected an ornament of a nativity scene. It was a plain wooden ornament with the figurines of the baby Jesus sleeping in the manager, surrounded by sleeping baby animals. Charlotte noticed Clare taking particular interest in the ornament before casually placing it on the tree.

"Ah yes," Charlotte placed a hand on Clare's shoulder, "This was Eli's favorite ornament as a kid. He always loved hanging it up on the tree. He thought the animals were adorable."

Clare nodded, and put the ornament front and center on the tree. She remembered Eli telling her about his thoughts on religion. She was starting to piece together that he hadn't always been anti-religious. Julia's death must have changed so much for him…and for this family. Clare wondered what Eli had been like prior to losing her. She decided not to think on that too much. She liked him just the way he was – cynical, sarcastic. He was perfect to her.

"It looks pretty good," Cece commented, hanging up a Santa ornament, "What do you think, baby?" She placed a hand on her son's shoulder, "I think it looks the best this year, though," she winked at Clare.

"Alright," Bullfrog pulled out the camera, "Lame family picture time!"

"I can take the picture of you guys," Clare suggested, without a second thought.

"Don't be dumb," Bullfrog shook his head, "I set a timer on the camera, and put it up on the fireplace mantel. That way everyone can be in the picture."

"But it's a family picture."

"I know what it is," Bullfrog raised an eyebrow, and Clare felt like she was being scolded by her own father. She blushed and stood next to Eli for the picture. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and when the flash went off, he kissed her on the cheek.

"Perfect," Bullfrog smiled down at the image on the screen, "Alright, I don't know about you all, but I think we should go grab lunch and maybe take Clare to the lake."

"You _hate_ the lake," Eli shot his father a questioning look.

"But it'll be fun for you and Clare," his dad shrugged, "I think I will live."

"What's the lake?" Clare asked.

"We used to ice skate there," Eli explained, "And Bullfrog would always fall on his ass."

"I did not!" Bullfrog objected, "I slipped just once…"

"Oh hush," Cece gently smacked her husband on the arm, "You spent more time on your ass then you did on your skates. You couldn't even stand up without slipping and falling back down."

"We don't talk about that," Bullfrog shot his wife a glance, "Alright, everyone get your coats on before I decide to change my mind."

On the way to the lake, Eli and Clare sat together in the backseat. Cece was in the backseat too, but distracted herself by glancing out the car window to allow her son and Clare a moment. As the car sped down the highway, Eli reached over and held out his hand, palm up, to Clare. She rested her own hand in his, and he gave it a small squeeze.

Their eyes met, and shyly, they smiled at each other. Eli couldn't help but feel like the cheese ball they would be eating that night at their holiday dinner. With Julia, everything had been a hurricane. Their moments together were spent fighting, and not the bantering that he shared with Clare, but angry, violent fighting. They hurt each other and would scream at each other, and even hated each other.

They were both crazy for each other, and young, and stupid. Eli had loved her, and she had loved him, but he could honestly say no one made him feel the way Clare did. He thought back to the fights with Julia and the lost sleep and the tears and the anger and the pain. He regretted thinking of the bad times. Julia hadn't been bad, Eli reminded himself, they were just young and stupid. But there had been good times. Lots of good times. But with Clare…there were just more.

He felt like he was doing something wrong in thinking that. Julia had meant a lot to him, and being happier with Clare didn't cheapen that. What he felt with Clare was something so different than what he had felt for Julia. Julia would always be a part of him, but he was older now, and he had found the girl he was happy with.

Surely, wherever she was, that meant something to Julia. Eli squeezed Clare's hand again and glanced out the window.

_Hey, Buttface – _Eli addressed her with the nickname he had coined for her before they started dating, _How are you doing? Merry Christmas! Can you believe it? I am spending Christmas with Clare Edwards! I hope you understand and aren't too pissed. I hope you don't come back to haunt me and turn into a poltergeist and start throwing things around my room tonight. Come on, I know you smirked at that. Clare means a lot to me, Buttface. You did too, but what we had was so different. I am sorry for the fights. I am sorry for the yelling. I am sorry for throwing things and the hitting and the screaming matches. I am sorry for the tears and the sleepless nights. Did I drive you as crazy as you drove me? Did you ever want to just strangle me, like I wanted to strangle you? Yup, I know you did._

_ With Clare, there's none of that anger. There's just happiness…and joy! Joy, yes, I used the word joy. Are you happy for me, Jules? Are you happy that I am finally happy? If you ever loved me – and I know you did – you would be happy for me. You'd be smiling down at me and not plotting how you're going to haunt Clare and me and make our lives hell._

_ Do you remember when we went to the lake together? And skated and you fell on your ass and when I went to help you up, you dragged me down with you and we laughed. I know we had shitty times, Jules. We both weren't exactly the easiest people to be with, but that moment, we laughed and were happy. When I remember you, I try to remember days like that. Not the screaming. _

_ Be happy for me, Buttface. You were my first love, Jules. You were my whole world back in the day. I still find myself talking to you, Jules. I haven't forgotten you. But I have found someone that makes me so happy. Please…be happy for me. Please?_

_ If there's such a thing as heaven, I know you're up there raising hell. Take care, Julia._

Clare squeezed Eli's hand gently, as if sensing something he was feeling, and said, "Seeing you in ice skates should be pretty entertaining."

"Don't you know?" Eli looked offended, "I am _the_ top ice skate model in North America."

"Oh, is that so?" Clare raised an eyebrow.

"I invented the double-axel."

"Eli…" Clare shook her head.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed him to her, "I love driving you crazy."

**Author's Note: I was reflecting on Julia and I thought: what if Julia had spent Christmas with the Goldsworthy's in the past? And how does that effect Eli having Clare there. I hope you didn't mind the conversation Eli had with her. Anyways, hope y'all are doing well today and I apologize for not updating last night. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I wrote a new story entitled, "Come Together Right Now, Over Me" and if you're interested, you should check it out. But just to warn you, it isn't for the faint of heart.**

Chapter Fifteen

When they arrived at the lake, Bullfrog rented everyone some skates from a little log cabin with a dilapidated sign reading: _The Skate Shack._ Charlotte declined to invitation to skate, and said she'd prefer to sit this one out, taking pictures of everyone instead. Clare was lacing up her skates, when Eli waddled over to her in his.

"Pretty sexy, huh?" He raised an eyebrow and pouted her lips.

Clare giggled, "You look ridiculous."

"Um, _ridiculously sexy_!" Eli scoffed, "Come on, I'll race you to the ice!"

"Something tells me racing in skates isn't a great idea," she laughed, weaving the lace into the last metal eye, "Now, I haven't really been ice skating in a long time," Clare admitted, "So I would appreciate it if you didn't make fun of me."

"Got it," Eli nodded, "Make fun of your sucky skating skills. On it."

"_Eli_," Clare wined as she waddled out to the frozen lake, "At least give me your hand so I don't fall or anything."

"But watching people fall is half the fun," Eli protested.

Clare gave him "the look" and Eli gave in, and offered her his hand. She squealed as her skates skidded on the slick ice, "You're fine," Eli steadied her, "I've got you."

"Thank you," Clare glanced up from eying her skates, and met his eyes, "I have no coordination what so ever."

"I know," Eli smirked, "Come on. Just hold on to my hand. I'm not going to let you fall…yet."

"_That's_ reassuring," Clare rolled her eyes, but relaxed as she felt his hand tighten around hers.

Together they skated around the frozen lake. Clare had to admit, she was having a blast. It was nice to be having fun with Eli again. She had missed moments like these.

"You got it?" Eli asked, "I'm going to let go of your hands now, and you're going to skate like a big girl."

"Eli!" Clare was aghast at the prospect, "Don't let go!"

"You can do this, Clare-Bear. Just skate like how we've been skating. You'll be fine."

"_Eli_!" Clare gasped as his hands dropped her. At first, she felt off-balance. She had to steady herself using her arms for balance, but quickly she got ahold of herself, "I'm doing it!" She declared, proudly, "_Look_, Eli!"

"I see," he grinned, "Good job! See, I told you could do it!"

Clare giggled as she felt the cold wind whip at her hair, "I can't believe I am actually doing it!"

She quickly gained speed, and began to skate around the lake completely on her own. She sported a huge smile, and confidence to match. Eli couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her go. She was having such a good time, and – he had to admit – he was too.

After a few minutes of skating on her own, Clare returned to Eli's side, "I did it!"

"You did," Eli smirked, "But I bet you'll still fall."

"No way," Clare objected, "Did you not see how well I was doing out there on my own? There is _no way_ I am going to fall, Eli."

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, "Because I bet I can make you fall without even having to touch you."

"Liar," Clare rolled her eyes to the winter sky, "I am an _expert_ skater now. There is _no_ way you can make me fall…especially without even touching me!"

"Wanna bet?" Eli raised his eyebrow some more, and sported that crooked grin of his.

"Whatever," Clare shook her head, "Just watch me," she turned to take off again, and her skates didn't seem to want to cooperate. She ended up slipping, and falling right on her bottom, "_Eli_!"

"What?" Eli ran a hand through his hair, grinning down at her.

"This is all your fault!"

"And this is my fault…_how_?" He shrugged, "I didn't even touch you."

"But you got into my head!" Clare protested.

"Ah," Eli grinned, reaching down to help her up, "That is my absolute favorite place to be. In your head, and on your nerves."

"Eli!" Clare rolled her eyes, grasping on to his hand. Then she had a sudden realization. An evil grin crossed her face, and just as Eli was going to pull her up, she pulled him down.

"_Clare_!"

"What?" She asked, innocently, "I thought you were such a _great_ ice skater, Eli."

A smirk crossed his lips, "You're dead, Edwards. Just you wait. I'm going to get you. You won't know where, or when, but I _will_ have my revenge."

**Author's Note: I know, it's short. But I hope it'll tide you over until the next chapter :) **


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"You really like my grandson, huh?" Charlotte asked as she and Clare got a table while the others parked the car, "Sorry if it's a bit forward of me…but I saw the way you two were looking at each other. When Liam suggested someone go reserve a table…I just had to get you alone for some gossip."

Clare couldn't help but smile as she took her seat across from Charlotte, "I do…a lot. I never imagined that we would be together again. I thought we had…broken what we had before."

"Honey, if something is true, it cannot be broken," Charlotte reached across the red plaid vinyl table cloth, and took Clare's hand, "There may be ups and downs, but if what you have is real, then it's powerful. And such a powerful thing can't be broken, Clare. Eli…I see the way he looks at you. He looks at you as if you are his whole world. Like his whole day starts and ends with you," Charlotte squeezed Clare's hand, "He loves you."

Clare reflected on Charlotte's words throughout the rest of the day. Even when they headed off to church that night for the Christmas Eve service, her words still echoed in Clare's mind.

"I bet you never thought you'd see me walk through the doors of a church, huh?" Eli asked, grabbing hold of Clare's hand as they followed his family down the aisle.

Clare squeezed his hand, "I think it's really cool that you do this with your family."

Eli shrugged, "Haven't been struck by lightning…_yet_," he teased as he and Clare slid into the pew in the middle of the church.

Clare felt truly at home. The church had been greened for the holidays, and there were strands of garland and poinsettias everywhere. Candles inside hurricanes dotted the aisles of the church. There was a small nativity scene off to the side of the pulpit. Clare wondered if her mom was at church right now. Maybe she had convinced Glen to go with her. The organist because playing _Go Tell it on The Mountain_, and the congregation all stood. Eli grabbed hold of Clare's hand again as the acolyte holding a brass cross began to lead the procession down the aisle.

The choir followed right behind, then the lay readers, and finally the priest. He was dressed in blue vestments for Advent, and had a huge smile on his face as he belted out the lyrics to the hymn. Clare dug the red hymnal from the back of the pew in front of her, and flipped to the correct hymn. She began to sing along, and couldn't help but hear Eli's voice quietly mumble the words. She didn't want to look up and meet his eye, fearing that if she did, he would grow self-conscious and stop. When the hymn ended, the priest stood in front of the altar, and said, "Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Clare knew the motions, and followed along with the prayers and declarations. She knew all the hymns (Christmas hymns were her favorite) and enjoyed singing along. She even more so enjoyed the sound of Eli's mumbling along. He knew these words just as she did. He had grown up with them. They were on his heart, even if he might not have wanted them there.

As they went up for the Eucharist, Eli chose to stay seated the pew. Clare, Bullfrog, Cece, and Charlotte went up to receive the sacrament, and Clare couldn't help but notice Eli staring straight ahead at the beautiful floor-to-ceiling stained glass window. There were a bunch of emotions on his face, and if Clare didn't know any better, she would think he was praying.

A few more hymns were sung, more prayers recited, and finally the dismissal. The last hymn sung was Angels we Have Heard on High – Clare's favorite. Eli didn't even mumble the words for this particular hymn; rather he sang along at a normal volume. He even met Clare's eyes, and allowed a small smile to cross his face. He didn't know what he believed it when it came to God, but he knew how he felt as he sat in that pew with his family. Rather it was something spiritual or not, Eli didn't know; all he knew was that feeling was something powerful, and it was even more powerful now that Clare was sitting next to him.

After the service, the family headed out to the car; bearing the cold and icy wind. The bells of the church struck midnight.

"Merry Christmas, Clare," Eli said, grabbing her in a quick kiss.

"Merry Christmas, Eli. What would you say if I told you that this was the best Christmas I have ever had?"

Eli chuckled and swung his arm over her shoulders, and hugged her closer to him, "I'd call you a complete and utter cheese ball," Eli said before softening, and adding, "But I'd have to admit that this was the best Christmas I have ever had as well."

"I am so glad you could join us," Cece turned to Clare, "Really."

"Thanks, Cece. I really enjoyed the church service."

"Well," Bullfrog rubbed his gloved hands together, "I've had enough of my spiritual duty for the year…let's go have some _fun_!"

"Oh hush, Liam," Charlotte rolled her eyes, "And if you're thinking of spiking the eggnog again…"

"Ma, I was seventeen," Bullfrog whined, "When are you going to trust me?"

"We you stop spiking the eggnog..._each year_," Charlotte chuckled, "Really, Liam – every year you do this…"

"And every year you have a blast getting a little tipsy," Cece winked.

"Cecelia, I do _not_ get tipsy," Charlotte said, and for a moment, Clare was worried that she was offended; then Charlotte smiled at her daughter in law, and added, "I think I know how to hold my alcohol better than that, Cecelia."

**A/N: It's short again, I know. The next chapter, I'll try to make a bit longer. **


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

The living room was covered in discarded, crumpled wrapping paper; a fire was going in the fireplace; and everyone was sipping coffee, eggnog, and orange juice, enjoying the morning. The sun was mixing with the chilly air, causing the snow outside the living room window to glisten and sparkle. Clare felt as though she was in the midst of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Everything had just been so…perfect. Charlotte had even gotten her a gift, a small gold heart hanging from a gold chain. It was such a heartfelt gift, and it had brought tears to Clare's eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "I didn't have time to get you all gifts."

"It's fine," Charlotte assured her, "We are just happy to have you here spending the holidays with us. Eli, hold on to her this time."

"Grandmother…" Eli shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"What? I want her to come back."

"I'd love to come back," Clare assured her, "Thank you so much for having me."

The rest of the morning was spent eating Charlotte's famous breakfast casserole and homemade cinnamon rolls. It was a quiet morning, and Clare was thankful. It was just homey and comfortable. There wasn't any fuss like Christmas back home. Everyone was still in their pajamas, even though it was almost noon. There wasn't a schedule (who opened what when, what time to eat, what time to do carols) – it was just…relaxing.

As they were sitting around the living room working on second helpings of cinnamon rolls, Clare turned to Eli and caught his eyes in hers. They shared a smile, and it was such a simple moment, but beautiful. In that one look, they said everything they wanted to and then some. Eli could tell Clare was genuinely happy, genuinely having a wonderful time. He had done something right, for once it seemed.

While Clare was nibbling on her cinnamon roll, listening to Cece and Charlotte argue over what was better – cinnamon, brown sugar, or both – her cellphone began to ring. Knowing it was probably her mother, Clare quietly excused herself to go answer it.

She headed upstairs, shut the bedroom door behind her, and nervously picked up her lit up cellphone. She didn't know if she should answer it or not. Clare knew it was her mom, but she didn't want such a perfect Christmas to be ruined. Her mother had hurt her more than Clare had ever been hurt before. Now she had truly been able to relax and enjoy the holidays with Eli and his family, and she was calling.

Clare decided to be the bigger person, and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Clare," her mother's voice sounded excited, and Clare was wondering what her mother had up her sleeve, "I am so glad I got ahold of you!"

"What's up, Mom?"

"Well for starters, Merry Christmas, honey!"

"Merry Christmas, Mom," Clare allowed a small smile to cross her face.

"How are you doing, baby? Are you having a good time with Eli and his family?"

"Yeah, I am," Clare admitted, "We went to church last night, and today we are just having a relaxing morning opening presents and eating breakfast. Charlotte, Eli's grandmother, is a great cook. And she even gave me a gift – a little necklace that she picked out just for me! I just…I love being here, Mom. I miss you very much, but I am having a great time. How's your Christmas?"

"Oh honey, it's been a disaster!" Helen cried, "I wanted everything to be perfect…and nothing was! I wanted Glen's family to enjoy everything, I really did. I wanted everything to be so perfect for them. It turns out his mother is allergic to Evergreen, and we had to do away with the Christmas tree because she was sneezing so much. His dad didn't like the pecan pie I made, and refused to eat it. I worked so hard on making a turkey dinner for last night, and his mom nitpicked at everything. It's just…it's awful!"

"Oh, Mom! I am so sorry!"

"I really messed up, Clare. I wanted everything to be perfect for them. I was…I was happy that you were going to be with the Goldsworthy's because that way I could just focus and throw myself into this Christmas, and it turned out to be an absolute disaster!"

"Mom, I am really sorry. I really am!"

"It's alright, baby. I am just glad that you're having a good time. As awful as it sounds, I am glad that you weren't here for this Christmas. I really…I can't believe how bad this day turned out to be. I am hiding in the bedroom right now just trying to get a few minutes to myself. I really am sorry for how I treated you, honey. I put Glen's family before my own family and it definitely wasn't worth it. But I am really glad you're having such a good time. So tell me, what is with you and this Eli boy again?"

Clare laughed into the phone, "Oh, Mom! He's wonderful! I have had such an amazing time with Eli. He's so sweet, and he's doing a lot better with everything. He's happy, Mom. I really am proud of him."

"That's great, honey! I liked him."

"Mom, you did not!"

"Okay, well maybe not right away. But he is a sweet kid."

"He is," Clare agreed, "I am really sorry you aren't having a good Christmas, Mom."

"It's alright, honey. I am just glad that you are having fun. When do you head home?"

"The day after tomorrow," Clare replied, "Maybe when I get home we can have a Christmas do-over. We can find a tree off the curb somewhere and decorate it and watch Christmas movies and I can help you make sugar cookies…"

"You don't know how much I would love that," Helen smiled into the phone, "I won't keep you any longer. Go back and have more fun, honey. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

Clare hung up the phone and instantly felt guilty. Her mom had wanted to impress the Martin's so badly, and it had all been for nothing. She was glad though that she had made the suggestion of a Christmas do-over. It would be a bit late, but it was better late than never.

Clare was about to head back downstairs when there was a knock on the bedroom door. She answered it, to find Eli standing there.

"Was that your mom?"

"Yeah…her Christmas was a disaster. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. She apologized for everything, Eli; and I am going to have a second Christmas with her when I get home. I think she needs to have a fun time after everything Glen's family put her through."

"Wow, I'm sorry," Eli apologized, "But I'm glad you're having a good time here. Really, I am so glad that you came with us."

"Me too," Clare admitted, "Thank you for inviting me. I am really having fun. Your family is fantastic. And the necklace Charlotte gave me is so sweet," Clare's hand touched the delicate gold chain.

"They like having you here," Eli gently held the gold heart between his fingertips, "The only other person I have ever brought with me was Julia."

"Oh," Clare nodded towards the bed, and the two sat down, "Is it difficult for you? Having me here?"

"No," Eli was quick to answer, "Not at all. It's just…being here…I just think of her from time to time. You don't mind, do you?"

"No," Clare grabbed hold of his hand, "I am happy you still think of her. I'd be worried if you didn't think of her from time to time. She meant a lot to you."

"She was a pain in the ass, is what she was," Eli rolled his eyes, "She drove me crazy…literally," a small smile cast over his face at the dry humor, "She was…she was such a _bitch_ sometimes. Like, I really…I couldn't…I couldn't stand her," Eli was laughing a dry laugh, and it took Clare a moment to see the tears on his cheeks, "Like…I just…sometimes I just wanted to grab her and…and _shake_ her. She…she was…God…she was so…"

"Oh, Eli," Clare pulled him into a hug as he sobbed into her shoulder.

"I…I couldn't _stand_ her, but I was crazy for her…and I…I loved her, Clare."

"I know, Eli. I know. It's fine. It really is. I'd be worried if you weren't upset. It's a lot for you to deal with, and I get it. She meant a lot to you. She was a very big part of your life."

"I just…it was awful some days. Some days I really…I thought I hated her. She could be so…manipulative and so…just so mean sometimes. She knew what to do to piss me off, and she would. But other times…other times she was like this really…really amazing person, Clare. She had this smile…when she smiled…everything was…good in the world."

"Hey," Clare gave him a small squeeze, "Can you take me to visit her when we get back?"

"What?" Eli looked at her, trying to make sense of her request.

"I want to visit her. Please?"

"Oh…okay," Eli was taken aback by her suggestion, "If you want to."

"I do."

"Thank you, Clare. That's really…that means a lot to me."

"Of course," Clare kissed his forehead as she pushed a strand of wavy dark brown hair from his eyes, "It'd mean a lot to me to visit her. Come on, let's go make sure Bullfrog hasn't eaten all the cinnamon rolls."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"I really did have a wonderful time," Clare hugged Charlotte for about the tenth time as they stepped out of the car.

"Me too, sweetheart. I really hope you can come back and join us again. Maybe for Easter Break or something. You're always welcome in my home, sweet girl."

Clare felt tears brimming in her eyes. She and Eli had failed in the past. If they failed a second time, there would be much more at stake – his mental sanity, her relationship with his family…Clare realized that maybe having more at stake would mean more to fight for during the hard time. Charlotte saw her tears and scolded, saying –

"Come now, don't do that," she pulled Clare into another hug, "We'll see each other again very soon. Now, Eli," she turned her attention to the boy who was helping pull luggage from the trunk, "You take good care of this one, understand? If I hear you've done anything to hurt her in any way, I'll fly out to Canada and wallop you myself."

"_Grandmother_," Eli rolled his eyes.

"Don't think I won't. I used to have this measuring stick in my kitchen, and I'd always threaten him with that whenever he'd act up," she leaned in close to Clare and winked, "Not that I'd ever use it on him, of course."

"Well Ma," Bullfrog turned to his mother, "It was nice to see you again. We had a great time, as always."

"Of course, baby," Charlotte kissed him on the cheek, "Now you take care, alright. Don't get into too much trouble and be a bad influence on my sweet grandson, you hear?"

"I'm an awesome influence on the kid," Bullfrog ruffled Eli's hair, and Eli gagged and scurried out from under his grasp.

"What did I say about the mushy family moments," Eli folded his arms over his chest and tried to look cross.

Cece rolled her eyes before turning to Charlotte, "Thanks for having us, Charlotte. It was really nice – everything was super special. We really appreciate it."

"Of course, Cecelia. Now, don't you go dying your hair any more funky colors. And did you really close up your nose piercing? I am so proud…"

"Char, do you really think I closed up my nose piercing? I just took it out to come visit you."

Charlotte laughed, "You're a keeper, Cecelia. You take care, alright? Keep Liam out of trouble, and make sure Eli stays just as sweet as ever."

"Well, I'll do my best," Cece hugged Charlotte goodbye one last time before the group headed into the airport.

Clare couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of melancholy as she waved to Charlotte through the glass window. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Bullfrog standing behind her.

"You'll see her again soon," he told her, "Don't you worry about that."

"I have never really been close to my grandparents," Clare admitted to him, "It was nice to have that for the Christmas holidays."

"Well I am pretty sure she just adopted you," Bullfrog grinned, "Come on – that girl and kid of mine are about up to security, and we're laggin' behind!"

Clare smiled as she followed Bullfrog to the line at security. She was so grateful for them for inviting her to come along. It was as if she just fit with this family. With her family, she had always been worried about messing up or doing something wrong or saying the wrong thing. Not with Eli's family though. Everything was so comfortable, so relaxed.

When they were through security, Bullfrog bought Eli and Clare a huge bag of sour neon gummy worms to share while on the plane. As they were waiting for boarding, Clare sat next to Eli in their terminal.

"Thank you so much for inviting me," she said, "It really meant a lot to me."

"Well, it was Bullfrog's idea…"

"I don't care," Clare chuckled, "I only care that it meant so much to me to feel like I belonged. I felt like I truly was a part of a family…and I don't feel like that much in my own family."

"Well you are part of my family, Clare," Eli tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "And always have been."

They boarded the plane, and sat together like on their first flight. Clare stared out the window as the plane lifted into the air. She grabbed hold of Eli's hand again, and gave a little squeeze until the plane balanced out. She leaned her head against Eli's shoulder and he played with her hair for a moment before growing bored. He could play with her hair all day, but it just wouldn't be quite as fun as messing with her.

"What do you say we play truth or dare," he grinned down at her and tapped her on the nose with his fingertip.

"Eli, _how on earth_ do you purpose we play truth or dare on an _airplane_?"

"I'll show you. Come on."

"Eli, I don't know…"

"Unless you're chicken."

"Eli, don't be immature…"

He grabbed hold of her eyes with his and said, in complete seriousness, "Play with me, Clare."

"I would…but we're on an airplane and I don't think that's appropriate," she shrugged innocently, "I'm sorry. Maybe you can go into the bathroom and play with yourself?"

"And when did Saint Clare get such an unsaintly mind?" Eli raised an eyebrow, impressed and shocked by her comment.

"Are we playing Truth or Dare, or not, Goldsworthy."

"Assertiveness is sexy on you," Eli grinned, "Alright, Truth or Dare."

"Truth."

"Lame."

"Eli!'

"Fine," Eli held up his hands in surrender, "What's your biggest fear?"

"Well, it used to be drowning."

"What is it now?" Eli asked curiously.

"Losing you," Clare answered honestly.

"Oh don't you even think giving me mushy answers are going to get you out of having to do a dare, Blue Eyes."

"Didn't even cross my mind," Clare smirked, "Your turn. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"I have no clue how to dare you on a freakin' air plane, Eli," Clare rolled her eyes, "Um…hmm…I dare you to…uh…" she lowered her voice, "tell Bullfrog that your aspiration in life is to be in a boy band."

"_No_!" Eli gasped, "Clare, my dad loves me but I am pretty sure he will disown me if I said anything along those lines."

"Come on," Clare nudged him, "Unless…you're chicken."

Eli let out a soft, throaty growl before reaching between the seats to tap his dad on the shoulder.

"What's up?" Bullfrog craned his neck to turn and face his son.

"Dad…you…uh…you like me, right?"

"Depends," Bullfrog furrowed his brow, "What did you do?"

"I didn't _do_ anything," Eli ran a hand through his hair, "I just need to tell you something."

"What, kid?"

"Well, Dad…my greatest aspiration in life is to…to be…in a boy band."

"Eli?" Bullfrog stared at his son as if he had just sprouted a second head, "What in God's name…Cece…smack that boy."

"Bullfrog, what the hell?"

"He just said he wants to be in a boy band."

"Eli, how can you say something so disgraceful?" Cece demanded, "We raised you better than that!"

"Thanks, Clare," Eli turned to his girlfriend and rolled his eyes.

"You know we can hear you two, right?" Bullfrog chuckled, "Truth and Dare on an airplane, Eli? Seriously? Not your brightest idea…"

"Oh hush," Cece shook her head, "I want to see where this goes."

"With us getting thrown of the plane is where it's gonna go," Bullfrog sighed before turning back around. Clare burst out into a fit of giggles and Eli glared daggers at her.

"You're something, Clare," he shook his head, "Your turn."

"Oh gosh," Clare winced, "Truth."

"You said truth last time," Eli whined, "Now you have to do a dare."

"That's not how this game works," Clare protested.

"It is if I say so," Eli smirked, "I was the one that suggested the game."

"Eli, you're being ridiculous," Clare said, to which Eli cocked an eyebrow; finally, she gave in, "Alright, fine. I'll do a dare."

"Alright," Eli glanced around the plane, trying to think up something that wouldn't result in them being thrown off the airplane, "I dare you to go to the bathroom, but on your way there – as you're walking all the way down the aisle – I want you to sing Wannabe by the Spice Girls."

"Eli, that is going to get us in _so_ much trouble…"

"Eh, let's see how it goes."

"You're crazy!"

"I thought we already established that fact."

"Eli, I am _not_ going to go down the aisle of the airplane singing Wannabe. No, just no."

"Didn't you say they were your favorite singers when you were seven?"

"Yeah…I was _seven_. That was ten years ago, Eli."

"Do it," Eli stared at her with that look that said I-know-I'm-going-to-get-my-way-so-just-save-us-all-the-time.

Clare rolled her eyes and stood from her seat. He scooted his legs out of her way so she could pass by him and make her way to the aisle. As she was standing in the aisle, Clare adjusted her hair and tried to look at least somewhat dignified while she still had dignity left.

"Alright," she sighed, "I'm doing it."

"I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. So tell me what you want what you really, really want. I'll tell you what I want what I really, really want. So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig-ah."

Eli was dying of laughter as the flight attendant stormed over to Clare who was now about halfway towards the restroom. The whole cabin of the plane was staring at her in shock, and Eli thought he saw someone with their camera-phone out. If this ended up on YouTube, it'd be even better.

"I'm sorry," Clare winced at the flight attendant, "My boyfriend over there…well, he dared me to do this and I know it was terribly inappropriate..."

"We do not tolerate any sort of misconduct on our aircraft, ma'am. If we so wanted to, we could make an emergency landing and have you escorted off the plane. Is that what you want?"

"No…I just…I'm very sorry."

"Please return to your seat, and do not leave said seat for the remainder of the flight."

"Yes ma'am," Clare sunk, defeated, back to her assigned seat. Eli was cackling.

"Thanks Eli, that was _real_ funny."

"Wasn't it?" Eli grinned.

"The hell is wrong with you?" Bullfrog turned around and glared at his son, "Don't make me come back there; you will _not_ like it if I have to come back there."

"Dad, it was just a dare…"

"A stupid dare. God, that was so embarrassing. You two morons better not get us kicked off a freakin' airplane – got it. I can't believe that you'd do something so stupid. I mean, come on Eli! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I-I wasn't…"

"Obviously. Geeze. At least pick a better song than that next time."

"What?" Clare's eyeballs nearly popped from their sockets.

Bullfrog shrugged, "I raised him better than that. Next time Eli, pick a better song. I have a reputation to uphold, and the fact that you even know who the Spice Girls are is damaging."


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Long overdue, so I made sure to pay you back with this chapter.**

Chapter Nineteen

Clare tossed her suitcase on her bed and glanced around at the bedroom. She missed the musty smell of the bedroom she used back at Charlotte's. She missed the bed with its checkered comforter, and the old oak dresser. She missed being there. As she unzipped her suitcase, Clare tried to remind herself that she would go back one day to visit.

She began to sort her clothes (dirties in the hamper, clean ones folded back into the dresser) when there was a knock on the door. Clare beckoned her welcome, and her mother shyly opened the bedroom door.

"Hi, honey," she said, walking over towards the bed, "Can I help you unpack?"

"Sure," Clare said, folding a shirt, "Did you guys just get in?"

"Yeah, we had to take the in-laws to the airport…I am so glad they are gone, Clare. They were just a complete nightmare. Everything I did was wrong, and the whole time Glen didn't stick up for me at all – not once! It was the most humiliating thing…okay," she took a deep breath and grabbed a pair of pants from the suitcase, "I'm done. I want to hear all about your Christmas, sweetie."

"Mom, it was so much fun! Eli and I…we had a blast together! His grandmother is so nice…his whole family is really amazing. They can just laugh and joke about anything and everything. They are just so…wonderful. I felt like I was a part of their family the whole time I was there. I didn't feel left out or weird about being there. It felt…right. And Charlotte says I am more than welcome to come back…which I hope I can soon."

"What all did you do?"

"We went to church…yes Mom, his family goes to church…and we went ice skating and had the most delicious meals…everything was just so perfect. I couldn't believe it. Everything with Eli has always been a mess. Nothing seems to go right with that kid, but this…this was right. We had such an amazing time. And he and I are back together…officially. And we agreed to work hard on keeping it that way. I don't want to lose him again, Mom."

"Well…if you love him, that's great sweetheart. If you have that love that lasts, don't ever let go of it, please."

Clare dropped a pair of socks into her dresser drawer, "I just feel so happy with him. He has a lot on his plate…but when we are together, it's like all of that gets forgotten and we can just be happy and have fun. His parents are really wonderful too, Mom. They love him so much, and they really love each other too."

"Honey," Helen sighed, sitting down on the bed, "I am so sorry."

"For what, Mom?"

"For not being able to give you that. Your father and I…we wanted to give you everything in the world. We wanted to give you girls the best that we could. And…we couldn't. Darcy…Darcy got eaten by a lion and you? You had to be witness to our fights and our anger."

"Oh Mom," Clare sat down next to her, "Don't even start thinking about that. It was fun to be with Eli's family…but you're still my mom, and dad is still my dad – and I wouldn't want it any other way. Both of you mean the world to me."

"What do you say that we have our own little Christmas tomorrow?" Helen suggested, "I still need to give you your gifts, and we can have hot chocolate and build a fire. It'll be fun."

"I'd love that," Clare leaned her head on her mother's shoulder, "I am so glad I suggested that. I can't have Christmas without you, Mom. It wouldn't be Christmas without you."

"I have to go start dinner, sweetheart. I'll make tacos – your favorite!"

"Sounds good, Mom."

"Alright…just know…know that I love you, okay?"

"I do Mom."

Helen smiled before excusing herself and heading downstairs. Clare continued her unpacking, wondering what it would be like if her parents had been more like Eli's. They were so crazy in love, and Clare wasn't used to seeing parents be like that with one another. It was special, and Clare hoped Eli knew that.

Eli was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table when Cece walked into the living room and said, "Eli! You know I don't like shoes on my table!"

"Sorry," Eli kicked off his black Doc Martins, and returned his feet to the table.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" Cece asked.

"You wouldn't want it any other way," Eli reminded her.

"Where's your laundry?"

"On the stairs."

"Oh you actually brought it out of your room for me?"

"Cece, I am not a Neanderthal."

"Where's the extra toilet paper? I just took a massive dump and we're out upstairs."

"_Bullfrog_!" Cece glared at her husband who had just meandered down the stairs, "Eli just got through saying he's not a Neanderthal. I am just sorry he has to have a father that is."

"Shut up," Bullfrog rolled his eyes before they took on a playful glint. He grabbed Cece in a headlock and gave her a noogie.

"I hate you, you asshole!" Cece shouted, wrestling out of his grasp just in time for him to capture her lips in a kiss. They stumbled back towards the couch and Eli had to jump up before they fell on top it in a passionate, albeit disturbing make-out session.

"Guys," Eli complained, "_Seriously_?"

"Oh go call your chick," Bullfrog waved him away, "Maybe you and her can have a steamy make-out session and you'll be out of our hair for a few."

"Thanks, Bullfrog," Eli rolled his eyes, "Can't you keep your paws off each other for five minutes?"

"Yes," Cece giggled from underneath Bullfrog, "But that's no fun!"

"Whatever," Eli excused himself and headed back upstairs. He decided maybe he could call Clare. He wasn't used to this whole calling-your-girlfriend-on-the-phone thing. He had screwed up big with Imogen, but Clare would be different. He felt as if they were dating for the first time, and it terrified him.

On the fourth ring, she answered, "Hello?"

"Hey…um. It's me. What are you up to?"

"Oh, hey Eli," Clare's eyes lit up at the sound of his voice, "I'm just unpacking and then we're going to eat dinner in a bit. What are you up to?"

"Do you think you can get away for a bit? I was wondering if you'd like to go meet Julia."

"Oh."

"You said you wanted to," Eli's demeanor drooped.

"And I do," Clare reminded him, "I just have to eat dinner with my family. Let me ask my mom if we can bump dinner back a bit. I'll give you a call in a bit."

"Okay," Eli nodded, "Sounds good to me."

Clare hung up and asked Helen if it would be okay if she could meet up with Eli for a bit before dinner. Helen was apprehensive ("but you just spent the last week with him"), but she finally caved when she saw a hint of disappointment flicker in her daughter's eye. As soon as she got the go-ahead, Clare called Eli.

"Dad, I need the car."

"Ha," Bullfrog laughed, sitting up off of Cece, "Sure you do."

"I need to go pick up Clare," Eli explained, "You told me to call her, so I did. I want to hang out with her for a bit tonight, and I need to pick her up from her place. Can I borrow the car? I mean, you're going to be busy tonight anyway, right?" Eli looked to his mother who was wiping the corners of her mouth her with her wrist.

"The kid has a point," she said, "Give him the keys; let him go have some fun."

"Do you really want this kid behind the wheel again, Ce?" Bullfrog hopped up from the couch, "I can drive you to see Clare tomorrow."

"But Dad…"

"You're not getting behind the wheel of a car."

"Bullfrog," Cece put her hand on her husband's arm, "He's got to drive again sometime. You can't just chauffer him around for the rest of his life."

"Lucky he has a rest of his life after that shit he pulled last time he got behind a wheel. I don't trust him driving, Cecelia. Who's to say he doesn't have an episode and…"

"Dad," Eli placed his hands on his dad's shoulders, and said, "I'm not going to do that. Alright? I am going to visit the girl that I live for, alright? I don't think I am going to just try and end my life after finally getting her back. Besides, I'm taking her to go visit Julia."

"Oh honey," Cecelia stood from the couch, "I don't know if that's the best idea…"

"She suggested it," Eli explained.

"You're not driving. That's final."

"Fine," Eli took his hands off his father's shoulders by shoving him backwards.

"_Hey_!" Bullfrog snapped, "What the hell do you think you're doing, kid? You _don't_ act like that in this house, alright? Just chill."

"No," Eli argued, "You don't get to just decide that I am never getting behind a wheel again. You think I'm not fucking terrified of sitting in that driver's seat? You don't think that fucking scares the shit out of me?"

"You don't think that fucking scares the shit out of _me_?" Bullfrog raised an eyebrow.

"Screw you."

"_Hey_," Bullfrog grabbed Eli's collar of his leather jacket and flung him to the couch, "Listen up, _smartass_ – you think you know everything? Do you know how many nights I stayed up worrying my ass off about you? You know how many nights I cried myself to sleep after you pulled that stunt? You don't know shit, kid. It fucking terrifies me that you're going to get behind that wheel. I want to trust you…but I don't trust your disorder. I just…I don't want to see you get hurt or do something stupid again."

"Dad," Eli didn't know what to say, "I…I'm not going to screw up again."

"I want to believe that," Bullfrog sighed and sat down on the couch next to his son, "You scare me, kid. I don't like that."

"I know," Eli looked up and met his dad's eyes, "I scare me too."

"Well, what do I do, kid?"

"You give me your keys, let me meet up with my girlfriend, and trust me."

"Then that's what I'm going to do," Bullfrog dug his keys from his pockets, "If you do anything stupid…I will kick your ass."

"If I do anything stupid, you're more than welcome to," Eli snatched the keys before pushing himself up off the couch and going over to kiss his mother on the cheek, "I'll be home soon, Cece."

"Be safe, angel," she reached out and brushed his cheek before he turned and headed out the front door, "Bullfrog, this is the right thing to do, right? I mean, we can't just keep him out of a car forever, can we?"

Eli slid into the front seat of his dad's car, and turned the key in the ignition. The car roared awake, and Eli slipped his seatbelt on. As he rested his hands on the wheel, a flood of nerves overcame him. Memories of bright lights and shattered glass and screeching tires overcame him.

"Get your shit together," Eli hissed at himself, "and drive."

He put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. The feeling of the car being urged into motion by him was terrifying. Each time he got a little too close to the car in front of him, Eli would hit the breaks. Every time he felt he was going just a bit too fast, again with the breaks.

"He's picking you up?"

"Yes, Jake," Clare rolled her eyes as her new step brother sauntered down the stairs and over to the couch where she sat, waiting, "Is that a problem?"

"I didn't know he was allowed to drive after what happened."

"Apparently his therapist said he could and he was given his license back awhile ago…the hang up has been his parents."

"And we all know how he is about authority."

"Stop it," Clare looked offended, "His parents are great with him. He listens to them."

"Eli listening to anyone," Jake chuckled, "So are you sure you know what you're getting into? I just…I don't want to see you hurt again."

"Jake, stop. You can't worry about me anymore."

"You're my sister now," Jake reminded her, "I'll never stop worrying about you."

Clare smiled at him, "Well, I appreciate that."

A flash of headlights in the window called her away, "See you at dinner!"

"Be safe."

"Will do!" Clare snatched her purse up and headed out the front door to meet Eli. As she slid into the passenger seat, she said, "How was it?"

"What? No kiss hello first?"

"Eli," Clare rolled her eyes before giving him a small kiss on the lips, "Now tell me, how was the drive?"

"Everyone thinks I am so incompetent," Eli was about to go off on a tangent when he saw Clare's face and quickly realized he knew better, "It wasn't so bad. To be honest, I was trying not to pee myself the whole time."

"I'm sorry," Clare winced, "I can drive you want…"

"No, I need to," Eli backed the car out of the driveway, "So off to meet Julia, huh?"

"Off to meet Julia," Clare agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Note: Normally I hate when author's do this, but I wanted to clear something up before my next chapter because I don't know when I'll be able to update.**_

**Regarding DARCY GETTING EATING BY A LION:**

**In a behind the scenes video on YouTube, Aislynn and Munro take you on a behind the scenes tour of the set. The show you around the school and the neighborhood and the houses where they live.**

**They get to Clare's house ans Aislynn explains that pictures of her as a young kid are actually of her and the actress that plays Darcy.**

**She goes on to say something like "I wonder whatever happened to my sister…maybe she gotten eaten by a lion?"**

**It was super funny because that's a running joke among the fans that used to watch the older episodes, and the fact that even as cast member thought it was weird and chose to make a jokeout of it was hilarious.**

**When I said Darcy had been eaten by a lion, it was a nod to that video, and also just something that was supposed to be humorous. That's why it was a casual line thrown in. I didn't know it would cause a lot of confusion or upset; but I guess I should have explained it better.**

**I'm sorry for causing you guys any upset and confusion. **

**Furthermore…I'd like to take this opportunity to ****THANK YOU ALL**** for your constant support and putting up with me. Sometimes my writing is great, sometimes not so much – but y'all seem to love me anyways. I really appreciate you all for that. if I have a single person who likes my writing/a single story, I'm good. But to have so many of you…your reviews make my days and you constantly brighten my heart. You all are very amazing, and I hope you keep reading.**

**Take care, and I'll try to post the next chapter soon.**

**I love you guys!**

**It won't let me post the link to the YouTube video but the vid is called "Degrassi Season 11: Set Tour by Munro and Aislinn.**

**Also, I love you all so much that if I could send you all on personal dates with Munro, I totally would :)**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty

"Here she is," Eli led Clare over to the tombstone. Some greyish/green moss was starting to creep up across the marble stone. It was cold out, but Clare suddenly felt an even greater chill when she glanced down at the stone, "Julia," Eli whispered the name, running his hand tenderly along the top of the stone.

"Hi, Julia," Clare squeaked, meekly, "It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard good things about you."

"Don't be a liar, Clare," Eli warned her, "You know Julia was a pain in the ass."

Clare blushed softly, and Eli rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Weren't you, Jules? You really knew how to piss me off, huh? I think you loved doing that – you loved driving me insane. Well guess what, I am. But you already knew that, huh? Anyways, this is Clare. My girlfriend."

"Hi, Julia," Clare said again, reaching over to grasp on to Eli's hand.

"Give her a chance," Eli said to the tombstone, "I love her, Julia. I do. You know you were my first love, and you know I could never forget you. You brought so much into my life, and when you left, all those things that you gave me stayed with me. I am the person I am now because of you, Julia. I am the cynical, angry, sarcastic person I am…"

"You forgot to mention kind," Clare reminded, gently, "And compassionate. And protective. And gentle. And strong."

Eli's ears turned a shade of crimson, and Clare couldn't tell if it was from blushing, or if it was on account of how cold it was outside. Eli shifted his weight, and his shoes sloshed against the murky, snow-slushied ground, "Did you hear that, Julia? I guess I've got some good qualities too. Who'd have thought! Anyways, I just want you to know, that you were my first love. I won't ever forget you, even if I wanted to. You're a part of me, and always will be. Sweet girl," Eli again stroked the tombstone.

"You know," he turned to Clare, and she could see the tears filling his red-rimmed eyes, "She could be a real bitch sometimes. Like, this girl could totally take Bianca down in a fight, and she could – and would – definitely put Katie and Marisol in their places. She was wild and loud and obnoxious. Her favorite word was fuck, and rarely – if she was angry – did you not see her middle finger shoot up at least five times in an argument. We sometimes would fight so badly," Eli winced as if the memory pained him, "that we would hurt each other. We'd uh…we'd throw things and shove each other. She slapped me once, so I pushed her to the ground. We got so violent sometimes," Eli was shaking with the tears he was trying to hold in, and Clare gently squeezed his hand, encouraging him to continue.

"But she could be so happy sometimes too. Like, this girl could light up my whole world, Clare. Sort of like how you do now. She could make any crappy situation, and make a joke of it. She could always make me smile…when she wasn't making me frown that is. She had so much life, Clare. She always did the wildest stuff. It was like…we both thought we were infinite."

Eli ran the hand that was not clutching Clare's through his hair, "Isn't that right, Julia? But we aren't infinite. No one is. There are moments though, when we feel like we are. We feel like the world can't touch us; can't disgrace what we have. But then it does, and it knocks us down, and we feel like everything we have ever felt or thought is wrong. Julia, I'm so sorry. God, I am so sorry."

Clare let Eli's hand drop as she fell to her knees in front of the gravestone. The icy slush permeated her thin denim jeans, but she ignored the pain of the cold as she said, "It would have been an honor to meet you, Julia. Really. I hope you don't mind that I love Eli. But I guess you understand that it's just very difficult not to."

Eli turned to Clare, "We should get you home," he suggested.

"Yeah," Clare nodded in agreement, not really wanting to leave the sacred place, "My mom would worry, and I did promise her."

Eli helped Clare up, and one last time, rested a hand on the marbled tombstone, "See you later, Buttface," he knelt down and kissed the top of the icy stone, "Take care, Sweet Girl."

They headed back to the car, sloshing through the snow. Neither one of them spoke a single word until they hopped on the car. Eli turned on the heater, and rubbed his hands together, trying to stay warm. Clare glanced out the passenger window, and back towards the grave.

"Thank you for bringing me here," Clare said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Of course," Eli was about to put the car in drive, but instead turned to Clare and said, "It meant a lot to me that you wanted to come here tonight. I know it must be hard to date someone who's first love was killed. I just want you to know, that I can still love her, and love you too."

"Eli," Clare reached up and touched his cheek with her palm, "I never doubted that. I am glad that you love her still. I wouldn't want you to not love her simply because I am in your life. She was your first love. She lived with you, Eli. You went through so much together. I wouldn't want to come between that at all. And I am so proud of you, honey. You're doing so well, and I know Julia would be proud of you too."

"Thanks, Clare. She was…she was really special."

"I know," Clare moved her hand to his, and gave a gentle squeeze, "You said something back there…about no one being infinite. That may be true, Eli…but there's one thing in this world that is infinite, and that is love. Your love for Julia didn't end just because she passed away. You still love her tremendously. And I know you love me, and I love you, and we always will. Love can't be destroyed. People may pass on, but that love we felt for them – and continue to feel for them – is strong and pure and beautiful, and nothing can tarnish it. It's what's infinite, Eli. Love is always infinite."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

"I love this scene," Eli pointed to the television screen, "See how The Joker is a reflection of…and you're not interested," he winced and glanced down at the girl in his arms.

"I am," Clare snuggled closer to him, "I love this movie."

"Why?" Eli raised an eyebrow, knowing her answer.

"Because you love it."

Eli smiled, and kissed her forehead, "Clare…" he grabbed the remote and paused the movie, "Can I say something?"

"Sure."

"I am so glad my dad asked me to invite you along with us last month. After you kissed me…well, let's just say I probably wouldn't have handled the whole getting-back-together thing quite as well as I did with you being there with me for Christmas. I just…after that kiss…I had so many thoughts going through my head…and I am so glad we had that vacation to just…"

"Sort everything out?"

"Yeah," Eli wrapped his arms tighter around her, "I don't know how I ever lived without you in my arms."

"I don't know either," Clare grinned, nuzzling against him, "I missed you so much, Eli."

"I missed you too, Clare. I-I don't want to lose you again."

"Who says you will?" Clare recoiled, and looked at Eli as if he had just sprouted purple polka dots, "Eli?"

"I just…whenever something good happens to me, it gets ruined. I'm scared I'll ruin this."

"Eli…"

"I'm sorry," he stood from the bed, and walked over to the TV on his dresser, and clicked it off, "Um…would you hate me if I bailed and went for a walk? I need to clear my head…"

"Eli, what is going on?" Clare kicked off the skull blankets and followed him towards his door, "Eli…did I say something? What's going on?"

"You didn't do anything," Eli lightly touched one of her auburn curls, "I just need to think."

"You can think here!"

"Clare," Eli's voice was gentle, "Please understand. I'm not mad, and it's nothing you did. I just need to get out for a second and go for a walk…be alone with my thoughts."

Clare looked worried, and Eli again tried to reassure her, "You can head home if you want…or you could stay here. I won't be gone long."

Clare nodded and retreated back towards the bed, "Have a good…walk."

"See you soon," Eli smiled a sad smile before shutting the door behind him. As he headed down the steps, a voice from the living room stopped him.

"Clare, before you leave, Cece and I were wondering if you'd stay for din…oh, hey Eli. I thought you were about to drive Clare home. What's up, kiddo? Why do you have a jacket on?"

"I'm going for a walk," Eli answered, matter-of-factly.

"Ookay," Bullfrog kicked the recliner back to its upright position, and met Eli in the foyer, "And where is Clarabelle?"

"Upstairs."

"Ookay, let's try this again," Eli could hear the slight annoyance seasoning his father's voice, "I'm just tryin' to understand here…so be patient with your ol' man, but why exactly are you going for a walk and leaving Clare?"

"I just need to clear my head," Eli moved towards the door, but Bullfrog moved a tad faster, blocking his way, "Bullfrog…" Eli jerked his head towards the door, "Walk. I'm going on one."

"Did you have a fight with Clare?" Bullfrog leaned against the front door, "Did something happen? Is this an episode?"

"Nothing _happened_," Eli folded his arms over his chest, and rolled his eyes, "I just need to clear my head."

"No, you need to talk. What's going on here, kid? When you and Clare got home from school, you practically booked it upstairs. Your mother was about to head up with a box of condoms."

"Oh, God!" Eli winced, "Dad, stop. _Nothing happened_. I just need time to think."

"You need time to stop being such a dumbass, and learn to answer your father when he's talking to you."

"I don't believe I ignored you."

"Don't get smart."

"You raised me to be."

Bullfrog's jaw clenched, and Eli's chin jutted out, "Okay," Bullfrog sighed, trying to keep his cool, "Before I kick your ass back into next week, what the hell is going on here, kid?"

Eli sat down on the step, and put his head in his palms. He did feel guilty – about everything. He felt guilty for walking out on Clare like that, and he felt guilty for how he had just spoken to his father.

"Geeze, kid," Bullfrog knelt down in front of him, and tried to meet his son's eyes, "Talk to me."

"Everything I touch dies."

"What?" Bullfrog was _not_ expecting that kind of response.

"I dated Julia, and she was killed. I dated Clare, and we all know how that worked out. It's just a matter of time before I ruin it again. This past month with her has been…amazing, Dad. I just…I don't want to lose her again. I don't want to do anything that'll risk this."

"And where exactly did walking out fit in with not ruining this?" Bullfrog raised an eyebrow and Eli glared daggers at him, "Alright," his dad backed off, "But just a thought, kid…if you keep thinking about losing Clare instead of just enjoying this second chance you've been given with her…you will regret it later on."

"I just don't want to screw this up. I love her, Dad. I love her so much."

"Then get up there and tell her that. I raised you better than this, Eli. You never run away just because you're scared. You stand up to your fears, and you face them. Who's to say you and Clare aren't supposed to be together forever, and who's to say you are? You have her in your life now. Enjoy that, and treasure that."

Eli chewed on his bottom lip, thinking his dad's words over in his head for a bit before nodding, and saying, "For an old guy, you give pretty good advice."

"Hey," Bullfrog teasingly smacked him on the head.

"You're obnoxious."

"You must get it from me," Bullfrog sat up, and held out his hand, helping Eli up from the step, "Go upstairs and tell Clare she can stay for dinner, alright? And son?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't walk away from her like that again. When there's a problem, you talk with her about it; you don't just walk out the door and try to deal with it alone."

"I know," Eli turned to head back up to his room.

"And Eli?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Walk out on her again, and I'll make sure you won't be walking for a long time."

Eli smiled, and nodded, letting his dad know that he understood loud and clear. He headed back upstairs to his bedroom. Clare was sitting, cross-legged on the comforter, picking at a loose thread.

"Hey," Eli shut the door behind him, "So…I'm an idiot."

Clare glanced up, and when she didn't say anything, Eli continued, "I got freaked out, alright? I love having you back in my life, Clare. I love spending time with you, and being able to hold you and kiss you again. But I got worried because…well, whenever something good comes along in my life, it usually gets taken away, and its usually on account of something I did. I just…I don't want to lose you, Clare. I don't want to do anything that would hurt this or ruin this."

"Eli," Clare patted the bed, motioning for him to sit next to her, "You're not going to lose me, alright? I'm all in, okay? I don't know what the future holds for us, or where we'll be in a few years, but all I know is that I want you in my life always. I don't want to go a day without being able to tell you how much I love you."

Eli grabbed her and pulled her into a huge hug, "I love you so much, Clare Diane Edwards. I am sorry I got worried. I'm sorry."

"Shh," Clare nuzzled against him, "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much."

Eli recoiled, and noticed a teasing glint in her eyes, "Is that so?"

"Mmhmm."

"And what do you propose I do instead of talking so much?"

"I can think of a few things," Clare captured his lips in a kiss. It didn't take long for Eli to gently push so she was lying down on the bed, and he was straddling her, kissing her. He snatched her lower lip between his teeth, smirking as the action enticed a small moan to release in the back of her throat.

"I love how I can make you do that," Eli's smirk broke out into a grin before he engulfed her in another kiss. As things were getting heated, there was a knock on the door.

"_Shit_," Eli hissed, "My mom. Uh…just a minute!"

"Eli?" Cece opened the door a crack and saw the position her son and Clare were currently in, "Oh," she blushed, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to barge in like that."

"Cece…" Eli growled at her, adjusting himself off of Clare.

"I just wanted to come see if Clare would be staying for dinner or not."

"I'd love to," Clare blushed furiously.

"Oh good," Cece smiled, "We love having you. Dinner will be ready in a few. Maybe after dinner you and Eli can finish up _dessert_?" Cece raised a suggestive eyebrow.

"_Mother_!" Eli gasped, as Clare's blush deepened, "Get out of here!"

"Don't forget, Baby Boy, there's protection under the bathroom sink!"

"Mother! You're leaving…_now_!"

"Alright, alright," Cece shut the door. Eli opened his mouth to apologize to Clare, when the door opened again, "Just wanted to remind you that their on the left side of the counter…"

"_Cece_!"

"Alright, alright!" Cece backed away, leaving Eli and Clare finally alone.

"I am _so_ sorry," it was Eli's turn to blush fifty shades of red, "Really…"

"It's fine," Clare smiled sweetly.

"No it's not," Eli rolled his eyes, "I can't believe that. Don't worry, Clare. We won't be needing those condoms under the sink. I know that your virginity is important to you and…"

"Eli," Clare raised an eyebrow, "Don't you know better than to deny a girl dessert."

Eli's jaw fell lax, and Clare's sweet smile broke out into a grin, "Come on, let's see if we can help set the table or something."

"Wait…did you just…"

"Come on, Eli," Clare hopped off the bed and opened the door, "Let's go help."

"Did you…are we…what just happened?"

Clare ignored him and skipped down the stairs taking two at a time.

* * *

"Eli…_Eli_! Hey, kid!" Bullfrog nudged his son.

"Huh, what?" Eli snapped back into reality to notice his father shoving him with a bowl of salad.

"I asked you if you wanted some salad with your spaghetti. You seem kind of out of it…are you okay? You're practically drooling and I know that your mother's cookin' isn't _that_ great."

"_Hey_!" Cece kicked him under the table, "You can make your own dinner from now on," she rolled her eyes.

"Just uh…saving room for dessert."

Clare practically choked on the water she had just taken a sip of.

"Dessert?" Bullfrog raised an eyebrow.

"_Dessert_?" Cece's eyes widened in excitement.

"I didn't know we had dessert," Bullfrog glanced to his wife, "What'd you make?"

"You don't get dessert," Cece shoveled some pasta onto her plate, "Not after that comment about my cooking. But Eli and Clare are _more_ than welcome to have some dessert if they are _safe_ about it."

"Safe about it?" Bullfrog clearly wasn't following along.

"Ma, _please_," Eli rolled his eyes as Clare shyly nibbled at her garlic bread.

"This dessert is _very_ delicate," Cece explained, "Not the kind of thing that should just be taken advantage of. It's something beautiful that should be _treasured_…"

"No fair," Bullfrog whined, "Stop rubbing it in my face how awesome this dessert you made is when you won't even let me have any."

"Maybe later tonight," Cece winked at her husband.

"Oh God!" Eli winced, "_Mom_!"

"What? When he pesters like this, I tend to cave."

"Damn it!" Eli gagged.

"What?" Bullfrog asked innocently, "I don't get what all the fuss is about. It's dessert."

Cece rolled her eyes, "Just shut up and eat your dinner, sweetie."

After dinner, Clare and Eli headed back upstairs to "finish their movie." Bullfrog was helping Cece clear the table when he paused at the refrigerator and glanced inside.

"I don't see any dessert in here!"

"Oh, Bullfrog," Cece patted him sweetly on the shoulder, "You're impossible."

_Fin_

**Author's Note: Slightly OOC, but to be honest, I really have been in a funk over this story and didn't really know how to end it. I hope you guys don't mind. I am working on some other awesome ones that I've been throwing myself into, so if you want to check those out, you are more than welcome!**


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